Protesters Breach The US Capitol As A Lockdown Ensues In Washington DC
- by Leona Burton
- in World Media
- — Jan 22, 2021
What was supposed to be a historic day in the US capital lived up to that billing for all the wrong reasons Wednesday as an angry throng of Donald Trump supporters managed to overpower police and lay siege to Capitol Hill.
At 11:26 AM Trump tweeted a rebuke of his own vice president, Mike Pence, blaming Pence for not protecting the country, and once more implying that the election was fraudulent.
Trump's supporters, in a solidarity march, went berserk, destroying properties.
The protesters stood on the building steps, waving a mixture of Donald Trump and USA flags, some even making their way inside the Capitol, as CBSN live footage showed.
The chaos unfolded after Trump - who before the election refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he lost - addressed thousands of supporters near the White House and told them to march on the Capitol to express their anger at the voting process. Security officers piled furniture against the chamber's door and drew their pistols before helping lawmakers and others escape.
DC police announced on Wednesday that four people died at the Capitol during violent demonstrations.
The Capitol building has been locked down, halting the vote to certify Joe Biden's presidential victory.
More news: Shakib back for Bangladesh in styleThe shock of the assault on the Capitol seemed to soften the resolve of some Republicans who had supported Trump's efforts to convince Americans of his baseless claims of fraud.
Members of Trump's Cabinet and allies of the Republican president have discussed invoking a provision of the U.S. Constitution to remove him from office, a source familiar with the situation said.
"We are back in our posts". Fourteen insurgent Senators and dozens of Congressmen supported Trump's allegations of election fraud.
"Enough is enough", Graham said on the floor of the Senate.
An explosion caused by a police munition at the Capitol Building in Washington.
An IED was also found on the US Capitol's grounds.
"The United States Senate will not be intimidated".
More news: Can COVID-19 vaccines be mixed and matched?As riots broke out in the afternoon, the Capitol police attempted to lock down chambers and skirmished in the building.
Washington D.C. enacted a 6 p.m. EST curfew, with a request of 200 National Guard members made to the Pentagon.
Wolf's deputy, Ken Cuccinelli, said on Fox News that new fencing was being installed around the Capitol ahead of Biden's inauguration. "Stay peaceful!" However, it appears that this recommendation is going unheeded by his supporters - at least one person has already been injured, news feeds have spotted someone being rolled out on a stretcher. "I know your hurt", says Trump, again falsely claiming that the election was "stolen".
Trump, as he's tried unsuccessfully to upend the election results in a handful of states where he was narrowly edged by Biden, has lashed out and urged primary challenges in recent weeks against some Republican leaders for refusing the assist the president.
Some of the self-styled revolutionaries managed to take the Senate floor, with one person mounting the dais and proclaiming President Trump the victor of the election.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., reportedly declared, to bipartisan applause, that both chambers would reconvene to ratify Biden's victory after the protesters were cleared.
He singled out several Republican lawmakers for criticism, including Romney and Representative Liz Cheney, while hailing as heroes those who have sided with him to stop the electoral votes from being certified.
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