Joe Biden wins certification after Donald Trump mob storm Capitol building in Washington DC
Donald Trump has released a statement after Congress certified Joe Biden as the next US president and his supporters stormed the Capitol building.
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Joe Biden’s victory in the Electoral College has been certified, after passing 270 electoral votes, and confirms he will be the 46th President of the United States.
Congress dealt a hammer blow to Donald Trump whose supporters stormed the Capitol hours earlier, triggering unprecedented chaos and violence in the seat of American democracy.
Politicians in the Senate and House of Representatives successfully beat back Republican efforts to deny Biden the electoral votes from swing states Arizona and Pennsylvania.
In a statement, President Trump said he agrees to an orderly transition of power but fails to accept defeat or congratulate his successor.
“Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th. I have always said we would continue our fight to ensure that only legal votes were counted. While this represents the end of the greatest first term in presidential history, it’s only the beginning of our fight to Make America Great Again!”.
It follows the death of four people in the riots at the Capitol building in Washington DC.
Talk of resignations among White House aides is also afoot, after many were dissatisfied with Mr Trump’s handling of the violence.
Washington DC police said four people died during the chaos at the Capitol on Wednesday local time.
They include the woman who was shot and a further three who suffered “medical emergencies”.
“We will not know the cause of death – we believe some type of medical emergency,” Washington DC’s Metropolitan Police Department chief Robert Contee said.
Fifty-two people were arrested – 26 on Capitol grounds – Washington DC police said.
The woman who was fatally shot in the melee was US Air Force vet Ashli Babbit.
She was married and lived around San Diego, her husband told KUSI-TV.
She had 14 years in the service and did four tours of duty, the station said.
Her husband called her a major Donald Trump supporter.
The day before she was fatally shot, apparently by Capitol Police, Babbit tweeted, “Nothing will stop us …. they can try and try and try but the storm is here and it is descending upon DC in less than 24 hours … dark to light.”
Babbit took a fatal bullet to the chest during the mayhem inside the Capitol. Video footage captured the gunshot, as well as the woman crumpling to the floor. She was apparently shot by Capitol Police.
Mike Pence and Mitch McConnell addressed Congress, with the Senate majority leader telling the gathered politicians: “The US has faced down much greater threats than the unhinged crowds” who had stormed the Capitol earlier today, disrupting proceedings.
“They tried to disrupt our democracy, they failed,” Mr McConnell said.
The Vice President opened proceedings, saying: “We defended our Capitol today. We’ll always be grateful. The men and women who stayed at their post to defend this historic place. “Those who wreaked havoc in our Capitol today, you did not win. Violence never wins. Freedom wins. This is still the people’s house. As we reconvene in this chamber, the world will again witness the resilience and strength of our democracy.”
Deputy national security adviser Matt Pottinger has quit after Mr Trump’s incitement of protesters.
Sources also told CNN Robert O’Brien deputy chief of staff Chris Liddell may be next.
Deputy White House Press Secretary Sarah Matthews also resigned this afternoon.
“I was honoured to serve in the Trump administration and proud of the policies we enacted,” she said, according to Fox News.
“As someone who worked in the halls of Congress I was deeply disturbed by what I saw today. I’ll be stepping down from my role, effective immediately. Our nation needs a peaceful transfer of power.”
Melania Trump’s chief of staff has also resigned. Stephanie Grisham worked for the Trump campaign in a variety of roles since 2015. She became Mrs Trump’s chief aide in 2017.
TRUMP TELLS ARMY ‘WE LOVE YOU’
The US is still reeling after Donald Trump’s supporters stormed a session of Congress, triggering chaos and violence at the heart of American democracy and accusations the president was attempting a coup.
Thousands of Trump supporters remain on Washington DC’s streets, 30 minutes after a citywide curfew started.
They were being steadily pushed away from Capitol Hill by squadrons of police after tear gas was fired and protesters climbed the walls before they were arrested while face down on the ground.
Mr Trump called on protesters causing chaos to “go home” as he also praised them for their support saying “we love you”, and doubled down on unfounded claims the election had been “stolen” from him.
“I know your pain, I know you’re hurt,” Mr Trump said in the prerecorded message posted on social media.
“We had an election that was stolen from us.
“It was a landslide election and everyone knows it, especially the other side.”
He said it was “a very tough period of time” because it was a “fraudulent election”.
“You have to go home now. We have to have peace,” Mr Trump said.
“We have to have law and order … we have to re-post our great people in law and order.
“We don’t want anybody hurt ….
“Go home and go home in peace.”
Trump praised his supporters and also described them as “very special”.
He said: “We love you.”
Shortly before Mr Trump shared his video, President-elect Joe Biden called for him to “go on national television now … and demand an end to this siege”.
“At this hour our democracy is under unprecedented assault, unlike anything we have seen in modern times,” Mr Biden said in Wilmington.
“An assault on the citadel of liberty, the Capitol itself.”
He said the “chaos” was due to a “a small number of extremists”.
“The scenes of the chaos at the Capitol do not reflect a true America,” he said.
“I call on this mob to pull back and allow the work of democracy to continue.
“It’s not a protest, it’s insurrection.
“The world is watching.
“Like so many other Americans I am beyond sad and shocked that our nation … has come to such a dark moment.”
Mr Biden described the act as a “siege”.
Authorities declared the Capitol had been secured about 5.40pm local time.
As a 6pm curfew approached in Washington DC, Capitol police had cleared most of the protesters who were gathered on the steps and facade of the building.
A core of insurgents remained inside the building where there was still a “security threat”, according to police.
Police reinforcements from neighbouring states Maryland and Virginia were to join the National Guard in supporting Washington’s police.
Some members of Congress also pledged to return to certifying Mr Biden’s election win tonight.
The breaching of the Capitol was the first since it was attacked by the British in 1814, according to the US Capitol Historical Society.
Australia has updated its travel advice for the US following the violence in Washington, advising anyone in the capital to take extra caution and listen to officials.
Scott Morrison announced the changes while condemning the scenes as “distressing”.
“We hope for a peaceful and stable transition of government,” the Prime Minister said.
“This is a difficult time for the United States of America.
“We hope for that peaceful transition to take place.”
CHAOTIC SCENES IN WASHINGTON AS US CAPITOL LOCKED DOWN
The US Capitol was locked down after thousands of Trump supporters stormed the building.
One person was shot and wounded inside the building.
“One shooting victim was transported from the Capitol,” a person attached to an emergency response unit told AFP, adding that there were “other injuries” in the chaotic protests and that the situation remained fluid.
The Washington Post reported that police said the victim was a white female shot in the shoulder, and CNN said she was in critical condition at a local hospital.
On a dramatic day in Washington DC, the Trump supporters forced the joint session of Congress to be suspended when they breached the Capitol amid violent clashes with police.
Politicians were told to hide in their offices and don “escape hoods” or gas masks.
Shots were fired inside the Capitol in clashes between police and protesters, according to leading Republican Kevin McCarthy.
“I heard them say shots fired,” Mr McCarthy told Fox News.
Police and protesters were in an armed standoff at the entry of the House Chamber, with reports of shots fired at the door.
They’re shooting into the chamber. pic.twitter.com/l9owW7BAVt
— Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) January 6, 2021
Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger called on Mr Trump to talk his supporters down.
“This is a mess,” he said on Fox News while he was sheltering inside the building.
“This is as disaster.”
CNN reported that Washington’s National Guard – “thousands of troops” – has been deployed.
Rioters laid siege to the US Capitol posed for selfies at the Senate podium and inside House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office.
As pressure mounted on Donald Trump to “call off” his mob, the full extent of the security breach that stopped the certification of Joe Biden’s election victory was laid bare in images and videos posted to social media.
Vice President Mike Pence, who was rushed from the Senate as the mob entered the building, called on the rioters to leave the area.
“Peaceful protest is the right of every American but this attack on our Capitol will not be tolerated and those involved will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Mr Pence said.
As the crisis played out and shots were fired in the halls of the Capitol, the president tweeted: ‘I am asking for everyone at the U.S. Capitol to remain peaceful. No violence! Remember, WE are the Party of Law & Order – respect the Law and our great men and women in Blue. Thank you!’
I am asking for everyone at the U.S. Capitol to remain peaceful. No violence! Remember, WE are the Party of Law & Order – respect the Law and our great men and women in Blue. Thank you!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2021
It came just hours after Mr Trump implored tens of thousands of rally attendees to march on the Capitol to protest the election result and as Mr Pence defied the president’s orders to reject the certification of Mr Biden’s presidency.
Members of Congress were ordered to shelter in their offices amid reports of bomb threats and as images were broadcast of armed protesters just outside the Senate.
Police sirens rang through the city as federal cops on Capitol Hill pulled back and waited for back up.
‘I HAVEN’T SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS SINCE DEPLOYED TO IRAQ’
The escalating chaos prompted some of Mr Trump’s closest allies to call on him to stop the election challenges that are fuelling his supporters.
“Call it off, Mr President, call it off. Please,” said Congressman Mike Gallagher on CNN.
“I haven’t seen anything like this since I deployed to Iraq.”
“This is the most significant breach of an American government institution, since the Battle of Bladensburg, August 24 1814, when the British came and burned the Capitol,” said Fox News Congressional correspondent Chad Pergrum.
Police fired tear gas at protesters who smashed through barricades and scaled the walls of the Capitol building in Washington DC.
The protesters tore down security fencing and appeared to be intent on occupying the building. Inside were members of the two houses of Congress where they were meeting to “certify” the election victory of Joe Biden. Among those in the building, which went into lockdown, were Mr Pence, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
BREAKING: Trump supporters have breached the Capitol building, tearing down 4 layers of security fencing and are attempting to occupy the building — fighting federal police who are overrun
— ELIJAH SCHAFFER (@ElijahSchaffer) January 6, 2021
This is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. Thousands, police can’t stop them pic.twitter.com/VVdTUwV5YN
Capitol Police were seen using pepper spray to keep the Trump supporters at bay as they approached the entrance to the building, before tearing down metal barricades.”
“This is our house!” Trump supporters screamed.
CNN reported that politicians and their staff inside the Capitol were urged to lock themselves in their offices.
Meanwhile, the Madison and Cannon Office buildings have been evacuated over alleged unidentified packages.
A cop in Cannon building told reporters: “Everyone out, right now, we’re evacuating.”
Outside of the building, police told staff to “take visitors, escape hoods, and Go Kits and report to the South tunnel connecting to the Longworth Building.”
Staffers at Capitol Hill were told to evacuate the Madison building.
Earlier on Wednesday, officers were responding to the reported package at the Unit Block of Second Street, just blocks away from the Capitol Building.
It came after Mr Trump addressed tens of thousands of supporters at a rally near the White House and called on them to “peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard”.
Trump addresses supporters at DC rally ahead of Congress vote certification https://t.co/7TyCvmMS3A pic.twitter.com/gCQ1FUyiJP
— New York Post (@nypost) January 6, 2021
Mr Pence has publicly rejected Mr Trump’s orders to block the certification Mr Biden’s victory in the presidential election.
Despite Mr Trump rallying tens of thousands of supporters to march on Congress to protest today’s confirmation, Mr Pence released a lengthy statement saying he could not support the president.
“It is my considered judgment that my oath to support and defend the Constitution constrains me from claiming unilateral authority to determine which electoral votes should be counted and which should not,” Mr Pence said.
Mr Trump continued to call on his deputy to “do the right thing” even after the statement was released, but Mr Pence said his role as presiding officer of the Senate was “largely ceremonial” and history would not allow him to do so.
The President said Mr Pence was taking advice from “rhinos”.
“Mike Pence, I hope you are going to stand up for the good of our constitution and for the good of our country,” Mr Trump told the rally.
“And if you’re not, I’m going to be very disappointed in you, I will tell you right now. I’m not hearing good stories.”
Describing the count as “all of these explosions of bulls — it”, Mr Trump continued to pressure Mr Pence to refuse to certify Mr Biden’s victory.
“Mike Pence, I hope you are going to stand up for the good of our constitution and for the good of our country,” Mr Trump told the rally.
“And if you’re not, I’m going to be very disappointed in you, I will tell you right now. I’m not hearing good stories.”
Speaking outside the White House he called on his supporters to march to nearby Capitol Hill and “peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard”.
“We have come to demand that Congress do the right thing,” he said.
“Today we will see whether Republicans stand strong for the integrity of our elections and whether they stand strong for our country.”
“We will never concede,” Mr Trump told the cheering crowd. “You don’t concede when there’s theft.
“This year, they rigged an election. They rigged it like they’ve never rigged an election before,” Trump continued, referring to what he calls “fake news media” and social media companies.
“And by the way, last night they didn’t do a bad job,” he added, referring to run-off elections in Georgia deciding the fate of Senate control.
GEORGE W. BUSH ‘LOOKS FORWARD TO INAUGURATION’
Former President George W. Bush will attend President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on January 20, but former President Jimmy Carter won’t make it, their offices said Tuesday.
Bush spokesman Freddy Ford said that the 43rd president and former First Lady Laura Bush will attend the pared-back ceremony in Washington.
“President and Mrs. Bush look forward to returning to the Capitol for the swearing-in of President Biden and Vice President Harris,” Ford said.
“I believe this will be the eighth Inauguration they’ve had the privilege of attending — President Trump’s being the most recent — and witnessing the peaceful transfer of power is a hallmark of our democracy that never gets old.”
Bush, 74, is the only living Republican ex-president following his father George H.W. Bush’s death in 2018.
Although controversial when he left office due to the 2008 economic collapse and his management of the Iraq War and other post-9/11 policies, Bush’s popularity has rebounded, according to polls. He rarely comments on politics and started painting.
Carter, 96, left office in 1981. The coronavirus pandemic places elderly people at the greatest risk. Carter representatives told The Associated Press that the Democrat sends his “best wishes” to Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
The other two living ex-presidents are Democrats Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.
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