FACT FOCUS: Trump's misleading claims about the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump said during his debate with President Joe Biden last week that the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol involved a “relatively small” group of people who were “in many cases ushered in by the police.”

But that’s not what happened. Thousands of his supporters were outside the Capitol that day and hundreds broke in, many of them beating and injuring law enforcement officers in brutal hand-to-hand combat as the officers tried to stop them from storming through windows and doors. There is ample video evidence of the violence, and more than 1,400 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the riot.

Many of those who broke into the Capitol were echoing Trump’s false claims of election fraud, and some menacingly called out the names of lawmakers — particularly then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and then-Vice President Mike Pence, who refused to try to object to Biden's legitimate win. The rioters interrupted the certification of Biden’s victory, but lawmakers who had evacuated both chambers returned that night to finish.

Trump, now the presumptive GOP nominee to challenge Biden, has not only continued to mislead voters about what happened that day but has also heaped praise on the rioters, calling them “hostages” and promising to pardon them if he is elected. A look at some of his false claims:

CLAIM: At the debate, Trump was asked by CNN’s Jake Tapper what he would say to any voters “who believe that you have violated your constitutional oath through your actions, inaction on January 6, 2021, and worry that you’ll do it again?” Trump simply replied: “Well, I didn’t say that to anybody. I said peacefully and patriotically.”

THE FACTS: In a speech on the White House Ellipse the morning of Jan. 6 to thousands of supporters, Trump did tell the crowd to march “peacefully and patriotically” to the Capitol. But he also used far more incendiary language when speaking off the cuff in other parts of the speech, such as telling the crowd: “We fight like hell. And if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”

Trump did not address Tapper’s question about his inaction as his supporters broke into the building and injured police. More than three hours elapsed between the time his supporters violently breached the Capitol perimeter and Trump’s first effort to get the rioters to disperse. He released a video message at 4:17 p.m. that day in which he asked his supporters to go home but reassured them, “We love you, you’re very special.”

Some rioters facing criminal charges have said in court they believed they had been following Trump’s instructions on Jan. 6. And evidence shown during trials illustrates that far-right extremists were galvanized by a Trump tweet inviting his supporters to a “wild” protest on Jan. 6. “He called us all to the Capitol and wants us to make it wild!!!” wrote one Oath Keepers member who was convicted of seditious conspiracy.

CLAIM: Trump said at the debate: “They talk about a relatively small number of people that went to the Capitol. And in many cases were ushered in by the police.” The next day, Trump said at a rally: “So many of these people were told to go in, right? The police: ‘Go in, go in, go in.’”

THE FACTS: More than 100 Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police officers were injured, some severely, as they tried to keep the rioters from breaking into the Capitol. In some cases police retreated or stepped aside as they were overwhelmed by the violent, advancing mob, but there is no evidence that any rioter was “ushered” into the building.

In an internal memo last year, U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger said that the allegation that “our officers helped the rioters and acted as ‘tour guides’” is “outrageous and false.” Manger said police were completely overwhelmed and outnumbered, and in many cases resorted to de-escalation tactics to try to persuade rioters to leave the building.

The Capitol Police said in a statement this week that “under extreme circumstances, our officers performed their duties to the best of their ability to protect the members of Congress. With the assistance of multiple law enforcement agencies and the National Guard, which more than doubled the number of officers on site, it took several hours to secure the U.S. Capitol. At the end of the day, because of our officers' dedication, nobody who they were charged with protecting was hurt and the legislative process continued.”

CLAIM: Trump said he offered 10,000 National Guard troops to Pelosi and “she now admits that she turned it down.” Referring to a video Pelosi’s daughter took that day, Trump claimed that Pelosi said, “I take full responsibility for January 6.”

THE FACTS: Trump has repeatedly and falsely claimed that he offered National Guard troops to the Capitol and that his offer was rejected. He has previously said he signed an order for 20,000 troops to go to the Capitol.

While Trump was involved in discussions in the days prior to Jan. 6 about whether the National Guard would be called ahead of the joint session, he issued no such order or formal request before or during the rioting, and the guard’s arrival was delayed for hours as Pentagon officials deliberated over how to proceed.

In a 2022 interview with the Democratic-led House committee that investigated the attack, Christopher Miller, the acting Defense secretary at that time, confirmed that there was no order from the president.

The Capitol Police Board makes the decision on whether to call National Guard troops to the Capitol, and two members of that board — the House Sergeant at Arms and the Senate Sergeant at Arms — decided through informal discussions not to call the guard ahead of the joint session that was eventually interrupted by Trump’s supporters, despite a request from the Capitol Police. The House Sergeant at Arms reports to the Speaker of the House, who was then Pelosi, and the Senate Sergeant at Arms reported to then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. But Pelosi’s office has said she was never informed of the request.

The board eventually requested the guard’s assistance after the rioting was underway, and Pelosi and McConnell called the Pentagon and begged for military assistance. Pence, who was in a secure location inside the building, also called the Pentagon to demand reinforcements.

In a video recently released by House Republicans, Pelosi is seen in the back of a car on Jan. 6 and talking to an aide. In the raw video recorded by her daughter, Pelosi is angrily asking her aide why the National Guard wasn’t at the Capitol when the rioting started. “Why weren’t the National Guard there to begin with?” she asks.

“We did not have any accountability for what was going on there and we should have, this is ridiculous,” Pelosi says, while her aide responds that security officials thought they had sufficient resources. “They clearly didn’t know and I take responsibility for not having them just prepare for more,” Pelosi says in the video.

There is no mention of a request from Trump, and Pelosi never said that she took "full responsibility for Jan. 6."

In a statement, Pelosi spokesman Ian Krager said Trump’s repeated comments about Pelosi are revisionist history.

“Numerous independent fact-checkers have confirmed again and again that Speaker Pelosi did not plan her own assassination on January 6th,” Krager said. “The Speaker of the House is not in charge of the security of the Capitol Complex — on January 6th or any other day of the week.”

CLAIM: Trump said to Biden during the debate, “What they’ve done to some people that are so innocent, you ought to be ashamed of yourself, what you have done, how you’ve destroyed the lives of so many people.”

THE FACTS: Echoing Trump’s false claims of a stolen election, rioters at the Capitol engaged in hand-to-hand combat with police and a slew of rioters were carrying weapons, including firearms, knives, brass knuckle gloves, a pitchfork, a hatchet, a sledgehammer and a bow. They also used makeshift weapons, including flagpoles, a table leg, hockey stick and crutch, to attack officers. Police officers were bruised and bloodied, some dragged into the crowd and beaten. One officer was crushed in a doorframe and another suffered a heart attack after a rioter pressed a stun gun against his neck and repeatedly shocked him. One rioter has been charged with climbing scaffolding and firing a gun in the air during the melee.

The rioters broke through windows and doors, ransacking the Capitol and briefly occupying the Senate chamber. Senators had evacuated minutes earlier. They also tried to break into the House chamber, breaking glass windows and beating on the doors. But police held them off with guns drawn.

About 900 of the rioters have been sentenced, with roughly two-thirds of them receiving a term of imprisonment ranging from a few days to 22 years. Hundreds of people who went into the Capitol but did not attack police or damage the building were charged only with misdemeanors.

Associated Press writers Barbara Whitaker, Alanna Durkin Richer, Melissa Goldin and Jill Colvin contributed to this report.

Find AP Fact Checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck

FILE - Supporters of President Donald Trump gather for a rally on Jan. 6, 2021, at the Ellipse near the White House in Washington. Former President Donald Trump said during a debate with President Joe Biden last week that the attack on the Capitol involved a "relatively small" group of people who were "in many cases ushered in by the police."(AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

FILE - Rioters wave flags on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Jan. 6, 2021. Former President Donald Trump said during a debate with President Joe Biden last week that the attack on the Capitol involved a "relatively small" group of people who were "in many cases ushered in by the police." (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

FILE - Rioters loyal to President Donald Trump riot at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. Former President Donald Trump said during a debate with President Joe Biden last week that the attack on the Capitol involved a "relatively small" group of people who were "in many cases ushered in by the police." (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

FILE - Supporters of President Donald Trump try to break through a police barrier, Jan. 6, 2021, during a riot at the Capitol in Washington. Former President Donald Trump said during a debate with President Joe Biden last week that the attack on the Capitol involved a "relatively small" group of people who were "in many cases ushered in by the police." (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

FILE - Rioters, loyal to President Donald Trump, storm the Capitol, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. Former President Donald Trump said during a debate with President Joe Biden last week that the attack on the Capitol involved a "relatively small" group of people who were "in many cases ushered in by the police." (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

FILE - Insurrectionists loyal to President Donald Trump confront police as they storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. Former President Donald Trump said during a debate with President Joe Biden last week that the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol involved a "relatively small" group of people who were "in many cases ushered in by the police." (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

Wall Street shifted between tiny gains and losses early Monday as earnings season kicks off amid another busy week for Federal Reserve and its inflation watchers.

Futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average were each up less than 0.1% before the bell.

Entertainment giant Paramount Global climbed another 2.1% after it agreed to merge with Skydance. Several companies had been seeking to acquire Paramount, which owns CBS and was behind blockbuster films such as “Top Gun” and “The Godfather." Paramount shares are up about 25% since mid-June.

Boeing ticked up about 1% in early trading Monday after the aerospace giant agreed to plead guilty to a criminal fraud charge stemming from two crashes of 737 Max jetliners that killed 346 people. The government determined the company violated an agreement that had protected it from prosecution for more than three years, the Justice Department said Sunday night.

Coming later this week are quarterly financial results from several major banks as earnings season revs up. JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup and Wells Fargo all report Friday. Delta Air Lines and PepsiCo report Thursday.

Also this week, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell testifies before Congress on Tuesday and Wednesday. Powell's comments will be closely watched for hints about the Fed's interest rate policy. The Fed has kept it benchmark borrowing rate at its highest level in more than two decades in an attempt to extinguish the persistent inflation that arose after the U.S. economy rebounded from the brief but sharp pandemic recession.

Powell and other Fed officials will be tuned in to the latest government data on inflation coming on Thursday and Friday. While inflation has slowed in the past two years, it remains above the Fed's 2% target. Most experts are expecting one rate cut from the Fed this year, but not until September. The Fed holds its next policy later this month.

Elsewhere, Asian stocks fell while European markets were higher Monday after France’s elections left its legislature divided among left, center and far right, with no single political faction getting close to a majority.

The CAC-40 index of large companies has erased the losses in early trading and was 0.3% higher.

The markets worst fear, analysts say, was a majority for either the left-wing New Front National or for the anti-immigrant National Rally led by Marine Le Pen. Both parties have made spending promises that raised fears France’s already-large deficit would swell. That has already led to a sell-off in French government bonds.

Though that outcome was avoided, France now faces weeks of uncertainty since there’s no clear majority for any of the main political forces in parliament to support a new government after Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said he would resign. That raises the likelihood that any new government will find it difficult to pass legislation and make tough spending choices in order to keep the country’s debts and deficit from getting out of hand.

“That the left has become the strongest group in parliament raises serious concerns,” said Holger Schmieding, chief economist at Berenberg bank. “France is heading for a period of political uncertainty and – most likely – for fiscal problems and some reversal of President Emmanuel Macron’s pro-growth reforms. ”

The euro currency rose to $1.0830.

In Europe at midday, Germany’s DAX rose 0.4% and the FTSE 100 in London was up 0.3%.

In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 index was down 0.3% to 40,780.70 despite official data showing the real wages fell 1.4% year on year in May, a decline for the 26th straight month as the weakening yen and higher commodity costs pushed up the cost of imports. While the nominal wages rose 1.9%.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index declined 1.6% to 17,524.06 and the Shanghai Composite index dropped 0.9% to 2,922.45.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 sank 0.8% to 7,763.20 while South Korea’s Kospi edged 0.2% lower to 2,857.76.

In other dealings Monday, U.S. benchmark crude oil gave up 80 cents, down to $82.36 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Brent crude, the international standard, declined 67 cents to $85.87 per barrel.

The U.S. dollar rose to 160.92 Japanese yen from 160.72 yen.

U.S. stocks rose to more records Friday boosted by a highly anticipated report on the job market.

On Friday, the S&P 500 climbed 0.5% to 5,567.19, setting an all-time high for a third straight day following Thursday’s pause in trading for the Fourth of July holiday. The index has already set 34 records and climbed close to 17% this year, which is only a little more than halfway done.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.2% to 39,375.87, while the Nasdaq composite added 0.9% to 18,352.76.

FILE - The New York Stock Exchange is seen on July 3, 2024, in New York. Asian stocks have fallen while European markets are higher on Monday, July 8, 2024, after France's elections left its legislature divided among left, center and far right, with no single political faction getting close to a majority. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)

People stand in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei 225 index at a securities firm under the intense sun Monday, July 8, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

People are reflected on the window of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei 225 index at a securities firm Monday, July 8, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei 225 index at a securities firm under the intense sun Monday, July 8, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

People stand in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei 225 index at a securities firm under the intense sun Monday, July 8, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

FILE - A person walks past at an electronic stock board showing financial indexes including Japan's Nikkei 225 index, green, at a securities firm in Tokyo, June 27, 2024. Asian shares were mostly lower on Friday, July 5, after solid gains in Europe overnight, while U.S. markets were closed for the July 4th holiday. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama, File)

FILE - The New York Stock Exchange is seen on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, in New York. Shares advanced Friday, July 5, 2024, in Europe after Britain's Labour Party prevailed over the Conservatives in this week's national election. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)