Pence, lawmakers evacuated as protesters storm the Capitol, halting Congress’ counting of electoral votes

Protesters loyal to President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol on Wednesday, halting Congress’ counting of the electoral votes to confirm President-elect Joe Biden’s victory as the police evacuated lawmakers from the building.

Around 2:15 p.m. Eastern time, as the House and Senate debated a move by a faction of Republicans to overturn the election results, the proceedings ground to a halt as security rushed Vice President Mike Pence out of the Senate chamber and the Capitol building was placed on lockdown, with senators and members of the House locked inside their respective chambers. Shortly afterward, police escorted senators and members of House from the building to others nearby, as the protesters swarmed the hallways just steps from where lawmakers were meeting, carrying pro-Trump paraphernalia.

The extraordinary day in Washington laid bare deep divisions both between the two parties and within Republican ranks, when the ceremonial counting of electoral votes that unfolds every four years in Congress was transformed into an explosive spectacle, with Trump stoking the unrest.

“This is what you’ve gotten, guys,” Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, yelled as the mayhem unfolded in the Senate chamber, apparently addressing his colleagues who were leading the charge to press Trump’s false claims of a stolen election.

Protesters struggle with police for a security barricade at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan 6, 2020. Scaffolding in background has been setup for the inauguration. The Capitol building was placed on lockdown, with senators and members of the House locked inside their chambers, as Congress began debating President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. President Trump addressed supporters near the White House before protesters marched to Capitol Hill. (Kenny Holston/The New York Times)

After exhorting his supporters to go to the Capitol to register their discontent Wednesday morning, Trump tried later in the day to tamp down on the violence.

“Please support our Capitol Police and Law Enforcement,” he tweeted. “They are truly on the side of our Country. Stay peaceful!”

In a scene of chaos and confusion seldom witnessed in the history of the capital, hundreds of protesters barrelling past fence barricades outside the Capitol and clashing with officers — with shouting demonstrators mobbing the second floor lobby just outside the Senate chamber as law enforcement officials placed themselves in front of the chamber doors.

Rep. Nancy Mace, a freshman Republican from South Carolina, described seeing protesters “assaulting Capitol Police.” In a Twitter post, Mace shared a video of the chaos and wrote, “This is wrong. This is not who we are. I’m heartbroken for our nation today.”

 

Other Republican lawmakers, locked inside the Capitol, used their Twitter feeds to urge the protesters to be peaceful.

“This is a coup attempt,” said Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill.

A US Capitol police officer shoots pepper spray at a protestor attempting to enter the Capitol building during a joint session of Congress to certify the 2020 election results on Capitol Hill in Washington, US, January 6, 2021. Kevin Dietsch/Pool via REUTERS  

Police fired what appeared to be flash-bang grenades. Rather than disperse, the protesters cheered and shouted, “push forward, push forward.” One protester shouted, “that’s our house,” meaning the Capitol. Other protesters repeatedly shouted, “You swore an oath.”

As officers and protesters clashed outside, lawmakers had debating an objection to the certification of Arizona electors, ensconced in their respective chambers. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the Senate majority leader, warned of a “death spiral” for democracy, while Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, listed a litany of accusations of election fraud with little evidence.

“I don’t recognize our country today, and the members of Congress who have supported this anarchy do not deserve to represent their fellow Americans,” said Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va.

Kevin McCarthy, the top Republican in the House, urged the protesters to be peaceful. He wrote on Twitter: “Thank you to Capitol Police for protecting the People's House. Protesters have a Constitutionally-protected right to be heard, but I urge them to remain peaceful.”

Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington put a curfew in place from 6 p.m. Wednesday to 6 a.m. Thursday.

— NICHOLAS FANDOS, EMILY COCHRANE, EILEEN SULLIVAN, GLENN THRUSH AND ZOLAN KANNO-YOUNGS

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Supporters of US President Donald Trump clash with police officers outside of the US Capitol Building in Washington, US, January 6, 2021. Reuters

The Army activates the D.C. National Guard.

The Army activated the entire D.C. National Guard, 1,100 troops, an Army official said Wednesday, and Virginia’s governor dispatched members of the Virginia Guard along with 200 Virginia State Troopers to quell the violence in the nation’s capital.

The troops are being sent to the D.C. Armory, to be deployed to the Capitol and to other points around Washington.

The decision, by Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy and acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller, comes as pro-Trump protesters have overwhelmed Capitol Police and prompted a curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. in Washington.

Pentagon officials have been loathe to have uniformed National Guard units deploy to the Capitol, preferring to put the Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police out in front, to avoid the spectre of a military battling election protests. But the tense standoff at the Capitol, and the breach of police lines by Trump supporters, led to the decision, officials said.

— HELENE COOPER

Marauding protesters vandalise Speaker Pelosi’s office.

Scenes of looting in the Capitol roiled Republicans and Democrats, who pleaded with Trump to intervene.

Pro-Trump protesters stormed Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s august suite of offices, flipping over tables and pulling photos off the walls.

In the basement “crypt” of the Capitol, hundreds of Trump supporters shouted “U-S-A, U-S-A,” creating a roar in the building. Shattered windows left glass scattered on wet floors.

“You stay here and call everybody you know and tell them to get to D.C. now,” one protester said.

A Capitol Police officer tried to reason with the crowd: “You guys just need to go outside,” he pleaded with a man in a green backpack. When asked why they weren’t expelling the protesters, the officer said, “We’ve just got to let them do their thing now.”

— ERIN SCHAFF AND SABRINA TAVERNISE

Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump cover their faces to protect from tear gas during a clash with police officers in front of the US Capitol Building in Washington, US, January 6, 2021. Reuters

An explosive device is found at the RNC, and the DNC is evacuated.

An explosive device was found at the headquarters of the Republican National Committee in Washington and the nearby headquarters of the Democratic National Committee was evacuated after the discovery of a suspicious package Wednesday, according to three people briefed on the discoveries.

The device that was found at the RNC was a pipe bomb that was successfully destroyed by a bomb squad, according to an official for the RNC.

The package at the DNC has yet to be identified, according to a top Democrat briefed on the matter who was not authorised to speak publicly about it.

The RNC and DNC are headquartered just a few blocks away from the US Capitol, which Trump’s supporters stormed Wednesday afternoon soon as Congress had gathered to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s victory and shortly after the president addressed the crowd near the White House.

As a mob breached the Capitol, Vice President Mike Pence was rushed from the Senate chamber and the building was placed on lockdown. Shortly after, Trump tweeted that Pence “didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done” because he did not try to reject the electors.

— KATIE BENNER, MAGGIE HABERMAN AND MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT

Police confront supporters of President Donald Trump as they demonstrate on the second floor of the U.S. Capitol near the entrance to the Senate after breaching security defences, in Washington, US, January 6, 2021. Reuters

‘This is insane.’ Lawmakers speak out.

Democratic lawmakers said the Capitol Police had instructed them to take cover on the floor and prepare to use gas masks after tear gas was dispersed in the rotunda of the Capitol.

“This is insane,” tweeted Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn.

As protesters circled the House chamber, Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., yelled out to Republicans: “Call Trump, tell him to call off his revolutionary guards.”

“It’s horrible that this is America,” said Rep. Norma Torres, D-Calif., as the Capitol’s emergency sirens blared. “This is the United States of America, and this is what we have to go through, because Trump has called on homegrown terrorists to come to the Capitol and invalidate people’s votes.”

Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California, the Republican leader, said on Fox News that he called Trump and asked him to call for an end to the violence. “I think we need to make a statement, make sure that we can calm individuals down,” McCarthy said. “This is un-American what’s going on, and it has to stop.”

— CATIE EDMONDSON

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