> what do you think would have happened if the rioters captured every single congressperson? what if they were all killed? if you think the answer to either of those questions is "the rioters assume control of any part of the federal government" then im not sure we have anything to discuss. killing congress doesnt, like, make you the new congress.

The question isn't what we think, it's what the rioters thought. Considering their chants, preparations and convictions, it's not entirely unreasonable to say they were hoping to make it so the guy they want remains in charge, regardless of election results. Whether or not that is legally possible or how it works isn't relevant to their goals, which is the main thing that matters to determine if it was a coup attempt or not. They thought it was, and that's that.

PS: i'm not American, I don't have a horse in this race