Fact check: There were only 30 people that actually broke into the capitol on Jan 6th 2021

1. Summary of the results

The claim that "only 30 people broke into the Capitol" is demonstrably incorrect based on multiple official sources. The actual numbers are significantly higher:

• Over 1,146 people from all 50 states have been charged in connection with the events ^[1]
• By the third anniversary, approximately 1,200 people had been charged, with three-quarters found guilty ^[2]
• The U.S. Attorney's Office confirms 1,265 defendants charged, with 718 guilty pleas including 213 felony pleas ^[3]

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original statement severely understates the scale of the event:

• FBI estimates indicate between 2,000-2,500 people actually entered the Capitol Building during the attack ^[4]
• Approximately 10,000 rioters entered Capitol grounds, with thousands breaching police perimeters ^[4]
• Around 140 police officers were assaulted during the event ^[5]
• The event resulted in multiple deaths and injuries ^[6]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The dramatic understatement of participants (claiming only 30 vs. thousands) appears to be an attempt to minimize the significance of the event. Here's why this matters:

• Legal Impact: The statement contradicts official legal proceedings, where hundreds have been sentenced to incarceration ^[1] and over 700 have entered guilty pleas ^[3]
• Scale of Violence: The original statement ignores the documented large-scale violence, including assaults on law enforcement and multiple casualties ^{[5] [6]}
• Systematic Documentation: Multiple federal agencies, including the FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office, have extensively documented thousands of participants, making the "30 people" claim particularly egregious ^{[4] [3]}

Those who benefit from minimizing the event's scale might include:

• Political figures seeking to downplay the significance of the attack
• Individuals facing legal consequences who might want to portray it as a minor incident
• Organizations and media outlets with a vested interest in reducing public perception of the event's severity