US Capitol police officers point their guns at a door that was vandalized in the House Chamber during a joint session of Congress on Wednesday.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
A mob of people stormed the US Capitol Building on Wednesday as weeks of President Donald Trump’s unfounded claims the 2020 election was stolen boiled over into a display of insurrection as the Congress was assembled to affirm the results. Shots were fired inside the building, according to multiple reports.
Trump, who had spoken to a rally of supporters nearby, stirred up protestors, telling them “We will never give up.” The president also used Twitter to attack Vice President Mike Pence, who had earlier issued a statement saying that he couldn’t stop the Congressional count of electoral votes, which is mandated by the constitution.
“Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution,” Trump tweeted in a statement that falsely claimed fraudulent votes were certified by the states. “USA demands the truth!,” he continued. Twitter quickly labeled the tweet as disputed.
Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify. USA demands the truth!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2021
The mayor of Washington, DC, ordered a 6 p.m. ET curfew as the events unspooled on television. CNN reported a woman was being treated for gunshot wounds on the Capitol grounds and showed video of protestors scampering through bashed in windows.
Members of the House of Representatives and the Senate had gathered Wednesday to count the electoral votes transmitted by the states. Trump and some lawmakers sought to use the process, which is usually ceremonial, to challenge the results of the election. Trump had pressured Pence, who presides over the process, to support his unfounded claims the vote was stolen.
Several reporters were tweeting from the scene, including Huffington Post’s Matt Fuller, Politico’s Olivia Beavers and Huffington Post’s Igor Bobic.
This is a developing story…
