Thousands of protesters have stormed the Capitol on Wednesday as they made their way to the Senate chambers, halting the congressional count of Electoral College votes that will confirm President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. President Donald Trump ordered the National Guard to the Capitol building just after 3:30 p.m. ET. As a result, both Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer are calling for the president to demand his supporters leave the grounds “immediately.”
“PELOSI and SCHUMER statement: ‘We are calling on President Trump to demand that all protesters leave the U.S. Capitol and Capitol Grounds immediately.’” White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany announced the move, as Capitol police and other local forces have failed to contain the breach. “At President [Trump’s] direction, the National Guard is on the way with other federal protective services,” McEnany tweeted. “We reiterate President Trump’s call against violence and to remain peaceful.”
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PELOSI and SCHUMER statement: “We are calling on President Trump to demand that all protestors leave the U.S. Capitol and Capitol Grounds immediately.”
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) January 6, 2021
Her tweet was sent out about an hour after Trump supporters overcame Capitol police and got inside the building according to a report by The Associated Press. The Trump supporters stormed in right after a rally where the president called the 2020 presidential election into question and stirred his base to action. In this process, authorities ordered lawmakers and staff members to avoid doors and windows while bot the House and Senate recessed. Police officers also told members of Congress inside the House chambers to put on gas masks due to tear gas being dispersed in the Capitol rotunda.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy spoke to CBS News and said that he condemned the violence in the Capitol. He said that he had talked to President Donald Trump and told him to “talk to the nation, to tell them to stop this.” McCarthy called the violence “unacceptable” and said that it has to stop. Biden has stepped in to address the American people after 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday and condemned the riot and asked those participating to stand down. Along with several others, he’s requested that Trump step in via live TV to do the same thing. Biden described the act as “an insurrection” and “a siege,” later adding that it’s not only an attack on public property but on the democratic process itself.
