WASHINGTON – The U.S. Capitol plunged into chaos and violence on Wednesday when hundreds of pro-Trump rioters stormed the building and shot dead at least one person, forcing the Senate to evacuate and leading Vice President Mike Pence to safety. to become.
The insane scene after rioters broke through barriers forced Congress to evacuate parts of the building and abruptly interrupt a ceremonial event to confirm that President-elect Joe Biden won the November election. In one dramatic moment, police officers pulled out guns as rioters tried to break into the living room.
Pence, who chaired the joint session of Congress, can be seen chasing out of the Senate amid the sounds of crowds of Trump supporters surrounding the Capitol. Pence and Senator Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, the Senate president, have been taken to a safe place, a senator told NBC News.
A woman was shot dead by a law enforcement member in the Capitol and later died, several law enforcement officials said
The doors of the Senate were locked and locked, and senators were told to stay away from the area. The doors to the house were blocked, and some lawmakers were seen praying. Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser has ordered a twelve-hour evening clock in the city starting at 6 p.m. ET.
Twitter and other social media channels were flooded with images of protesters fighting with police officers, and there were several reports of riots in the Capitol, while some rioters broke windows, broke through and sat in the Senate Hall.
Improvised explosive devices were found at the Capitol site, several police officers said. Officers were destroying the devices, and it was not clear if they were functional. At least one is made of a small section of galvanized pipe.
Five police guns got five guns and about 13 arrests were made. None of the people were residents of the district.
Images of the clashes were full of disturbing hate symbols: a photograph of a noose hung on the west side of the Capitol while several protesters waved Confederate flags or used white gestures of power.
Trump has ordered the national guard to go to the Capitol, he said in a tweet, and U.S. Capitol police have asked for additional support. The FBI was deployed, and the U.S. Marshals Service also helped with the response.
House minority leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif, confirmed on Fox News that shots were fired inside the Capitol, calling the chaos’ un-American ‘and saying:’ We can not agree, but we must not take it to this level. … You’re not doing what’s happening right now. People get hurt. This is unacceptable. ”
Biden has asked Trump to go on national television to ‘fulfill his oath and defend the Constitution and demand an end to this siege’.
“This is not protest. This is insurgency,” he said. “The words of a president matter, no matter how good or bad it is.”
The top Democrats in Congress endorsed Biden’s message: “We call on President Trump to demand that all protesters leave the US Capitol and Capitol Grounds immediately,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN. Y., and House President Nancy Pelosi, D- California, said in a joint statement.
Former Attorney General William Barr, who was near Trump last summer while members of the National Guard sprayed tear gas to disperse peaceful protesters so the president could hold a Bible for a photo opportunity, condemned Wednesday’s violence.
He said in a statement: “The violence at the Capitol building is outrageous and despicable. Federal agencies need to move immediately to spread it.”
Trump, who earlier Wednesday called on his supporters to march to the Capitol and even suggested that he join them before finally returning to the White House, addressed the chaos and unrest in a series of tweets .
“Please support our Capitol Police and law enforcement. They are really on the side of our country. Stay calm!” Trump tweeted. He added: “I ask that everyone at the American Capitol remain peaceful. No violence! Remember, WE are the Party of Law & Order – respect the Law and our great men and women in the blue. Thank you!”
In a video message branded by Twitter as spreading false election claims and ‘because of the risk of violence’, Trump again lied about the election results and falsely claimed to have won in a ‘landslide’, before directing his supporters addressed the Capitol: ‘You must go home now. ‘
The chaotic situation came after Trump spoke to a large crowd in front of the White House. He viciously vowed never to concede to Biden and unjustifiably claimed that the election results were fraudulent.
“We will never give up. We will never give in. You will not concede if theft is involved,” Trump told a crowd of supporters, some of whom shouted “USA!” or waved against Biden banners. He later falsely claimed that Biden was an “extramarital” president.
Trump’s baseless allegations of voter fraud have been widely dismissed, and his legal team’s attempts to challenge the election results in court have been rejected by a succession of judges. Trump claimed that the joint session of Congress on Wednesday is a chance to overthrow the election, even though state voters have already ratified the results and the event within the Capitol is ceremonial.
Trump put Pence under pressure to intervene in the score. In his long and deviant remarks, Trump called on Pence to ‘do the right thing’, even though Pence’s ceremonial role does not give him the power to intervene. Pence sent a letter to Congress before the ceremony, saying he would not do what Trump had hoped.
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., Tweeted that he was drafting articles of accusation against Trump.
“We can not allow him to remain in office, it is a matter of preserving our Republic and we must keep our oath,” she tweeted.
Trump was indicted by the House in late 2019 and acquitted by the Senate in early 2020.
Jason Bjorklund, who flew from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to the capital, said he did not know what to expect when Congress convened.
“I just felt compelled to be here because our republic seems to be slipping away from us,” Bjorklund said. He added unfounded that there was “mountains of evidence of fraud” and detailed conspiracy theories about Dominion voting machines.
When Bjorklund was asked to reject the judges who rejected the Trump legal team’s efforts to challenge the results, he said, “I think we have corruption from top to bottom.”
Prior to Trump’s speech, it appeared that some senators were being approached by Trump supporters near the Capitol, including a Apparently Senator Todd Young Outraged, R-Ind., Who said he would not vote to confirm Biden’s victory because he would definitely follow the law.
“I have taken an oath under God, under God!” Young said. “Are we still taking it seriously in this country?”
Theresa Reilly and her husband, Bill, came from Michigan to the state capital – a major Midwest swing state that fell in the Democratic column in November – to take part in the protests because they believe Biden’s triumph was deceptive.
“We do not believe they are honest, true voters,” Theresa Reilly said as Celine Dion’s theme song from the movie “Titanic” was played on a speaker system in the background. “There’s a lot of fraud going on, and I think everyone knows that, including the Democrats.”
Bill Reilly said that even without “doing too much research”, it was clear that “something was going on” with the outcome of the November election
“The only thing I can say is how many people are here, it’s not going to go away,” he said. “If you thought 2020 was weird, 2021 would be ‘keep my beer’ if you ask me.”
Allan Smith, Ginger Gibson, Pete Williams and Haley Talbot reported from Washington, Daniel Arkin and Tom Winter from New York and Lauren Egan from Georgia.