Congress formally certified President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory during the early morning hours on Thursday following violence that broke out at the Capitol.
“Vice President Mike Pence closed out the proceedings early Thursday morning, hours after police had hurried him out of the Senate chamber with rioters inside the Capitol,” The Wall Street Journal reported. “He read out the tally of the 538 votes from the 50 states and the District of Columbia, cementing Mr. Biden’s win with 306 electoral votes to President Trump’s 232.”
A rowdy scene unfolded sometime between late morning and early afternoon yesterday following a rally that President Donald Trump held as Congress was just starting the certification process yesterday. Chaos quickly broke out as thousands rushed the Capitol, where they clashed with law enforcement and interrupted the proceedings, forcing some to have to shelter in place while others were temporarily evacuated. The National Guard was later deployed to restore order.
“Some House and Senate Republicans had planned to object to the Electoral College votes in at least three states: Arizona, Georgia and Pennsylvania — with an additional three on the table,” Axios reported. “But the objectors only made it to Arizona and Pennsylvania, with several Republican lawmakers giving up their challenges after the protests erupted inside the Capitol.”
Trump, during the early morning hours on Thursday, released a statement committing to a peaceful transition of power which came after reports surfaced that indicated that his own cabinet was considering whether to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove him from office.
“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,” Trump said in a statement. “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!”