Washington —Vice President Mike Pence announced just after 3:40 a.m. Thursday that President-elect Joe Biden had won the presidency after Congress finalized the counting of Electoral College votes. What was seen largely as a final step before Biden took office had become a day of chaos after an angry mob of riots stormed the U.S. Capitol in an effort to stop the process.
Congress had to take a break for nearly six hours after the angry crowd of supporters of President Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol, leaving four people dead in melee and sending members of Congress to flee the apartment during what Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had previously called it “the most important vote I have ever cast.”
Earlier Wednesday, President Trump had encouraged his supporters to “walk” toward the U.S. Capitol while Congress counted on the votes of the Electoral College, the largely ceremonial final step that affirmed the victory of President-elect Joe Biden . While Trump has recently insisted that Vice President Mike Pence had the authority to overturn election results, Pence on Wednesday challenged Trump and issued a lengthy statement saying he could not change the outcome.
Chaos erupted at the U.S. Capitol a few hours later when an angry crowd of riots (many waving Trump flags or carrying Trump teams) burst into the building.
DC Metro police said a woman was shot dead and three people died as a result of medical emergencies. More than 52 people were arrested, and 47 of those arrested for curfew violations.
Biden delivered a speech in Delaware denouncing the violence and asked Mr. Trump to address the nation. Mr. Trump then posted a one-minute video on Twitter telling riot police they were “special,” but “now they need to go home.”
Congress reconvened nearly six hours later after leaving the floor and withdrew from the place where it had left to hear the objection of Senator Ted Cruz and Parliamentarian Paul Gosar to Arizona’s election results. The Senate rejected the 93-6 objection and the House rejected it 303-121.
Despite calls from more than a dozen senators who said they would support objections to election results in key states, no senator signed House members’ objections to the results in Michigan and Nevada.
But Sen. Josh Hawley kept his promise to oppose the Pennsylvania results. The Senate rejected it 92-7, leaving the House to debate it for two hours before being rejected after three in the morning.
Since none of these objections have a majority, they had no chance of success. Even if there was a majority in any of the objections, it would not change the outcome of the election. Biden will be sworn in on January 20.