WASHINGTON As the chaos unfolded on the floor of the House of Representatives this week and Republicans struggled to elect a speaker, some lawmakers couldnt help but see links to the violent Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection that took place here two years prior.

Many of the same far-right Republicans who supported or played key roles in the effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election based on false claims of fraud are now engaged in a historic speaker blockade that has delayed the formation of the House and ground all legislative business to a halt. President Joe Biden has called the episode embarrassing and warned it would erode Americas image around the world.

On Friday, the second anniversary of the attack on the U.S. Capitol, the House will try for the 11th time to elect a speaker. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who also voted to overturn the 2020 presidential election, has failed to win a majority 10 times more than any speaker elections since the Civil War.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the former House speaker, has watched the events unfold on the House floor this week along with other rank-and-file Democrats . She told reporters thank God Republicans werent in the majority two years ago because that was the day you had to be organized to stave off what was happening. Pelosi beat McCarthy, 216209, on the first vote for speaker on Jan. 3, 2021, an election that allowed the lower chamber to organize itself and, a few days later, certify the 2020 election results after hours of armed warfare at the Capitol.