WASHINGTON — Violent protesters loyal to President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday and forced lawmakers into hiding, in a stunning attempt to overturn America’s presidential election, undercut the nation’s democracy and keep Democrat Joe Biden from replacing Trump in the White House.
The National Guard and state and federal police were called in for control, and the mayor of Washington imposed a rare evening curfew. One person was reported to have been shot.
The protesters were egged on by Trump and his false attacks on the integrity of the November presidential election. While rallying his supporters outside the White House Wednesday morning, he urged them to march to the Capitol. But later — hours after they fought police and breached the building — he told them that although they were “very special people” and he backed their cause, they should “go home in peace.”
President-elect Biden, two weeks away from being inaugurated, had declared in Wilmington, Delaware: “I call on President Trump to go on national television now to fulfill his oath and defend the Constitution and demand an end to this siege,”
Biden said that democracy was ‘“under unprecedented assault,” a sentiment echoed by many in Congress, including some Republicans.
The chaotic protests halted Congress’ constitutionally mandated counting of the Electoral College results, in which Biden defeated Trump, 306-232.
Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had tried to steer Congress away from Wednesday’s formal protest of those results, and he said at the start of proceedings that Trump had clearly lost.
Wednesday’s ordinarily mundane procedure of Congress certifying a new president was always going to be extraordinary, with Republican supporters of Trump vowing to protest election results that have been certified by the states. But even the unusual deliberations, which included Vice President Mike Pence and Senate Majority Leader McConnell defying Trump’s demands, were quickly overtaken by the chaos.
In a raucous, out-of-control scene, protesters fought past police and breached the building, shouting and waving Trump and American flags as they marched through the halls. One person was reported shot at the Capitol, according to a person familiar with the situation. That person’s condition was unknown. At least one explosive device was found that was detonated.
The protesters abruptly interrupted the congressional proceedings in an eerie scene that featured official warnings directing people to duck under their seats for cover and put on gas masks after tear gas was used in the Capitol Rotunda.
Senators were being evacuated. Some House lawmakers tweeted they were sheltering in place in their offices.
The Pentagon said about 1,100 District of Columbia National Guard members were being mobilized to help support law enforcement at the Capitol.
Pence was closely watched as he stepped onto the dais to preside over the joint session in the House chamber.
Pence had a largely ceremonial role, opening the sealed envelopes from the states after they are carried in mahogany boxes used for the occasion, and reading the results aloud. But he was under growing pressure from Trump to overturn the will of the voters and tip the results in the president’s favor, despite having no legal power to affect the outcome.
“Do it Mike, this is a time for extreme courage!” Trump tweeted Wednesday.
But Pence, in a statement shortly before presiding, defied Trump, saying he could not claim “unilateral authority” to reject the electoral votes that make Biden president.
Despite Trump’s repeated claims of voter fraud, election officials and his own former attorney general have said there were no problems on a scale that would change the outcome. All the states have certified their results as fair and accurate, by Republican and Democratic officials alike.
Arizona was the first of several states facing objections from the Republicans as Congress took an alphabetical reading of the election results. Then the chaos erupted.
———
Associated Press writers Andrew Taylor, Jill Colvin and Kevin Freking in Washington and Bill Barrow in Atlanta contributed to this report.
Trump supporters go crawl back under the rocks you were hiding under 4 years ago. Losers.
Obama, Bush, and the Clinton’s want to condemn the protest at the Capital, but when it comes to Antifa and BLM they are silent, is it because now the establishment is threatened? Instead of them burning down our cities they are going right to the front door, this election was a fraud and this “baseless claim” argument carries no weight, there is a mass of evidence that was refused to be looked at, there were dead registered voters, forged ballots, and witnesses etc. This is unconstitutional, this election was anything but fair
Please cite evidence for each and every statement you made. From the real world, it looks wholly made up.
More mainstream BS! Stop the steal!!!!!
If we want to get anywhere with this country we’re going to have to drag this rabble along, kicking and screaming, into a better future. Think of the wasted resources, sickening!
Of note, if Trump was/is so smart , after all weren’t all the Russian collusion allegations and impeachment attempts enough warning for him that the Dems would stop at nothing to remove him.
The failed loyalty of his quitting inner circle people and his failure to convince even his own judicial appointees about the election fraud, should have been enough writing on his mirror staring his narcissism in the face to let him know to let it go, and forego the international embarrassment of a baffoon character president, albeit he did do the economy best ever, until the ScamDemic was orchestrated, perhaps besides vaccine sales the forced “firing” demise of our uncanny international businessman, our loved by many, 1 term President. Bring on Donald, Jr. for President 2024.
Really now, could the Dems be so smart as to pull off a double whammy, dump Trump, and sell the world a multi-dose lab disease vaccine with people waiting in line for it, provided by the same pharmaceutical companies that have 80% of America on daily prescription drugs, and the citizens think this is normal, and their doctors lapping up their cut from the signature side of the prescription pad that sells 4.4 billion prescriptions per year to a sucker born every minute.
Trumps own Low IQ Terrorists! Were you there Jimmy Rosen?
“Fragile”. An ambassador from Iran or was it one of the Irabians in Saudi Arabia, describing what he saw in Capitol Hill. He describes western democracy as fragile. And Trump taking back America by protesting the electoral college results is a sign that he wants America to be prosperous and pro-free enterprise. Far from a constitutional right to choose from free speech of what Americans stands for. Freedom. Trump wants America to be a rich country. I think it is crazy to think that democrats don’t want this too. On January 5, Tuesday, Seoul South Korean tanker ship got hijacked by Iranian soldiers in the Persian Gulf. South Korean foreign minister Kang Kyong-Wha pleaded to Iran’s ambassador Saeed Badamchi Shabestari to release the hostages. But Iran declined any involvement in the incident claiming it was a technical issue. The tanker should not be polluting the waters. I don’t see Donald Trump dealing with this kind of issues. And besides, what was a south Korean tanker doing in the Persian Gulf? Out of their territory. In the enemies grounds. One issue Donald Trump have limited issue on is on foreign relations and the middle east. Such as this incident was on Tuesday.