A pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol building on Wednesday while protesting Congress certifying President-elect Joe Biden‘s victory. Members of the mob made their way through the building, ultimately reaching the Senate chambers. Now, however, a Capitol official is saying that the building has been secured.
According to Reuters, House Sergeant at Arms Paul Irving told House members that the building was cleared. The members spent several hours in lockdown following an evacuation due to the demonstrators attacking the Capitol. CBS News’ Kris Van Cleave later provided a live report from roughly “one-and-a-half blocks away” from the Capitol building. He said that the police officers and members of the National Guard had pushed the mob further away from the building but hadn’t yet told them to go home despite a violation of curfew.
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“The Capitol is said to be secure,” Congressman Richie Torres tweeted on Wednesday evening. He then said that the certification process could continue into the night. “Even though there is no clarity as to timing, the Congress is committed to resuming the electoral college vote count as soon as possible,” he added.
When the attack occurred, the members of the mob clashed with police and climbed over fences and barricades. They made their way into the Capitol by force, breaking windows and pushing through doors. They freely occupied the building, vandalizing the offices of elected representatives and evading the police.
Several politicians spoke out and condemned the mob’s actions amid the ongoing escalating situation. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer released a joint statement calling for President Donald Trump to demand that the demonstrators leave the Capitol immediately. Similarly, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy spoke to CBS News and said that he condemned the violence in the Capitol and that he told Trump to “talk to the nation.”
Biden spoke to the nation shortly after 4 p.m. ET and also condemned the actions of the angry mob. He said that “our democracy” was under assault and that it was unlike anything we have seen in modern times. Biden then issued a challenge to Trump. “Therefore, 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.”
Trump responded by releasing a video on his social media channels, which has since been removed from both Facebook and Twitter. He called for the demonstrators to “go home in peace” and that “we have to have law and order.” Trump also reiterated his belief that the election “had been stolen.”
