WATCH: In a Senate Floor Speech, Kelly Reflects on January 6th Capitol Insurrection, Condemns Efforts to Rewrite History

"Let's call it what it was. This was an insurrection."

Today, on the fifth anniversary of the January 6th insurrection, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly took to the Senate floor to reflect on his firsthand experience that day and to warn against ongoing efforts by President Donald Trump to minimize, excuse, or rewrite what happened.

In his remarks, Kelly recounted being on the Senate floor as Arizona's electoral votes were challenged, described when it became clear how much worse it could have been, and encouraged all Americans to continue participating in our democracy.

Kelly detailed how quickly the situation escalated and how close the attack came to turning deadly: "Only later did we fully understand how close this came to something far worse. We didn't know that our colleague Mitt Romney was literally running for his life-a target because he had the courage to speak the truth about the results of the election. We didn't know that, at that very moment, Capitol Police officers were being pinned in doors, beaten with flagpoles, and attacked with bear spray."

Kelly made clear who was responsible for the January 6^th Insurrection: "Let's call it what it was. This was an insurrection. An insurrection aimed at stopping the peaceful transfer of power. An insurrection aimed at overturning a free and fair election. January 6th did not happen spontaneously. It did not happen by accident. It happened because Donald Trump refused to accept that he lost."

Kelly warned that efforts to minimize January 6th and pardon those who carried out the attack are dangerous: "No one has done that more than Donald Trump. He has even used the powers of his office to hand out pardons to let off people who attacked police officers. These pardons do not just erase sentences. They send a message-'it's okay if you commit violent acts, as long as they are in support of Donald Trump.' And in the year since those pardons, we have seen exactly who these people are."

Kelly closed by urging both leaders and citizens to defend democracy: "Democracy is not self-executing. It depends on leaders who tell the truth, respect the will of the people and the rule of law, and put the Constitution ahead of their own ambition. And it depends on every American being involved and holding their elected leaders accountable. If we do that-all of us-I know that our democracy will remain strong. There is nothing our country can't do when we work together, and I know that the future of our country and our democracy is bright as long as we remain committed to it."