Let's talk about the proper terms to describe what happened at the Capitol for a moment. I know this has been contentious and I have put a lot of thought into it ...
It was unquestionably a riot. We know this. There's no question about it. But it was also something much more since there was planning, official participation, and the goal of overturning our democracy.
Some people are adamant about calling this a coup. I get that but I think they are wrong. If you read the definition of coup, it signifies success. In the original French, it quite literally means a blow that was struck. This was a coup attempt it was not a coup.
This is one of thise situations where the Germans have a word we don't in English. It's a perfect one for this situation. This was a putsch - a violent attempt to overthrow the government. We should not just call it a riot. It was a putsch.
And let's be clear. It's not over. That has been apparent from on the ground and there are troubling indications for the days ahead. We are in the middle of an American putsch. https://news.yahoo.com/troops-retake-us-capitol-trump-supporters-023649305.html