Was the Confederate Flag Raised at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.?

As a pro-Trump mob stormed the government building, the flag was visible in different places.

  • Published
Image via SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

Claim

A Confederate flag was spotted inside and outside the U.S. Capitol as a pro-Trump mob stormed the building.

Rating

True
True
About this rating

Origin

Violence grew on Jan. 6, 2021, as a pro-Trump mob stormed the heart of the government, the U.S. Capitol, in opposition to the results of the November 2020 presidential election. The attack came after a “Stop the Steal” speech from U.S. President Donald Trump on the National Mall earlier in the day, where he again refused to accept his election loss.

Reports of a Confederate flag being seen around the Capitol were confirmed by journalists on the ground. A Washington Post metro reporter said it was being flown outside the Capitol, a Huffington Post reporter spotted the flag outside the Senate chamber, while a New York Post reporter shared a video taken near Sen. Mitch McConnell’s office, where a protester is seen standing with the Confederate flag.

Given that there is video and photographic evidence from multiple reporters on the ground in the Capitol, we rate this claim as “True.”