President Joe Biden on Thursday spoke to the nation marking the first anniversary of the U.S. Capitol insurrection.

Biden criticized former President Donald Trump and the large mob of people who carried out the attack.

“For the first time in our history, a president not just lost an election, he tried to prevent the peaceful transfer of power as a violent mob breached the Capitol,” Biden said. “But they failed.”

On Jan. 6, 2021, hundreds of people, a majority of whom were at the Capitol to protest Trump's election loss, used their fists and flagpoles to break through the windows of the Capitol and gain entry.

To date, the U.S. Justice Department has filed charges against 498 people allegedly involved, and of those, 62 are Pennsylvanians.

According to a search of public records, 15 people have been charged from Western Pennsylvania, including former Butler County resident Rachel M. Powell, 40, of Sandy Lake, Mercer County.

Also known as the “pink hat lady,” Powell last had a status conference in late November, and another has been set for Friday.

A former West Sunbury resident, Powell remains released on her own recognizance since she left Butler County Prison in February.

She is charged with felony depredation of government property, entering a restricted building or grounds with a dangerous weapon, entering a restricted building or grounds and violent entry or disorderly conduct.

According to charging documents, Powell is accused of battering a window of the U.S. Capitol building with a large wooden pole, among other things.

The president and congressional Democrats started off Thursday in Statuary Hall, one of several spots where rioters swarmed a year ago and interrupted the electoral count.

“I did not seek this fight brought to this Capitol one year ago today, but I will not shrink from it either. I will stand in this breach,” he declared, his voice rising. “I will defend this nation. And I will allow no one to place a dagger at the throat of our democracy.”

Biden also spoke against false narratives that have arisen from that day and noted the continued refusal by many Republicans to affirm that he won the 2020 election.

“Here is the God's truth about Jan. 6, 2021,” Biden said. “They were looking to subvert the Constitution.”

Biden said the whole world could see the truth for themselves.

As of Thursday, about 142 of those charged have accepted plea agreements, and 21 of those plea agreements were made by Pennsylvanians.

Powell has yet to accept a plea agreement, though it has been reported that one has been offered.

“Democracy was attacked,” Biden said at the Capitol. “We the people endure. We the people prevailed.”

As the day continued, a series of remembrance events were well-attended by Democrats, in person and virtually, but Republicans were scarce on Capitol Hill.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and others were absent with a contingent of colleagues attending the funeral for former Sen. Johnny Isakson in Georgia.

U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., chairwoman of the House committee investigating the attack, was one of the few GOP lawmakers attending the Capitol ceremonies.

Cheney said Trump continues the same rhetoric many insurrectionists used to justify their actions.

“Unfortunately, too many in my own party are embracing the former president, are looking the other way or minimizing the danger,” she told NBC's “Today.” “That's how democracies die. We simply cannot let that happen.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi marked the anniversary through a scheduled moment of silence in the House. During the insurrection, many House members were evacuated and some were trapped as the rioters tried to break in.

Later, the Democratic leaders planned to hold a moderated discussion with historians Doris Kearns Goodwin and Jon Meacham and a session featuring testimonials from members who were there that day.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.