AP Photo / J. Scott Applewhite

Protestors Storm Capitol; Woman Shot, Congress Evacuated

• By Ralph C. Jensen
• Jan 06, 2021

Updated January 6, 2021 6:45 PM CT

One Woman has Died

Washington Update: One woman has died from the violent and chaotic scene as protesters swarmed the U.S. Capitol. A pro-Trump rally turned violent and anarchists rushed to the building and forced their way inside the Capitol.

In a dramatic scene, police officers drew guns and rioters tried to break into the House chamber. The woman who was shot and died later was shot by a member of law enforcement. Senate doors were locked, and doors to the House chamber were barricaded, though rioters broke windows and battered down doors.

A sorry sign of a protest out of control were improvised explosive devices were found on the Capitol grounds, though law enforcement was not certain if they were functional. Five weapons were recovered around the Capitol, and 13 arrests were made. None of the people were residents of the District of Columbia.

The area was rife with symbols of hatred were evident throughout the area, including a noose that hung on the west side of the Capitol; several protesters waved Confederate flags and white power hand signs.

After a significant amount of time, and encouragement from close allies, President Trump finally release a call for peace and asking the protesters to leave the area, and go home. During this time, the National Guard headed to the Capitol, joined by Capitol Police, the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service. It took an immeasurable amount of time for Trump to respond.

In the midst of the violence, President-elect called on Trump to, “fulfill his oath and defend the Constitution, and demand an end to this siege.” Biden also said, “It’s not protest. It’s insurrection. The words of the president matter, no matter how good or bad it is.”

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) called the mayhem un-American. “We can disagree, but we should not take it to this level. You do not do what is happening right now. People are being hurt. This is unacceptable.”

Democrats call on Trump to demand that all protestors leave the U.S. Capitol and Capitol grounds.

The violence at the Capitol Building is outrageous and despicable. Federal agencies should move immediately to disperse it,” said former Attorney General William Barr. While Trump continued his long-standing conversation method of sending our Twitter messages, Twitter has moved to block his Twitter account for 12 hours, even though he has called for support for Capitol Police and law enforcement. Trump said, “You have to go home now.” But at this point, Capitol Police, National Guard and other law enforcement officials had cleared out the Capitol grounds.

The violence seemed to begin following a Trump speech in front of the White House, where he angrily vowed to never to concede to Biden. He continued his rhetoric that the election results were fraudulent, and that he had won the election by a “landslide.”

Before Trump's speech, it appeared that some senators were being approached by Trump supporters near the Capitol, including an apparently exasperated Sen. Todd Young (R-IN), who said he would not vote against affirming Biden's victory because he was bound to follow the law.

"I took an oath under God, under God!" Young said. "Do we still take that seriously in this country?"

Original Article Below

Protestors have swarmed the U.S. Capitol, bringing the appearance of mob violence and insurrections to the House and Senate chambers as lawmakers review President-elect Joe Biden’s electoral victory.

So severe were the protests, Vice President Pence was ushered out of the building, and police defending the Capitol drew their guns as protesters had broken into the House chamber. One woman was shot inside the Capitol and was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition. Despite pressure from President Trump, Pence said he lacks any authority to reject electors. As the indoor protest continued, as some protestors were seen wearing body armor. So serious were the lawless events, one man sat at the rostrum where Pence has been presiding.

This violence has broken out after Trump stoked the flames with his insistence of a “landslide” election being stolen from him, and pressuring Congress to overturn his defeat. Problems also have pushed the furious pace of demonstrators as Trump’s sons issued veiled threats to Republicans for not standing behind their father.

During this unprecedented violence on the Capitol. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has asked the National Guard to clear the building, and intervene as protestors stormed the inside of the congressional House. Police barricaded the door to the House chamber, had their guns drawn, and there were reports of shots fired inside the building.

“This is a coup attempt,” said Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL).

Following and during this extraordinary anarchy, Trump tried to tone it down with a Tweet of “Please support our Capitol Police and Law Enforcement. They are truly on the side of our Country. Stay peaceful!”

Despite support of Trump and his baseless claims on the election, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and his crew from the House and Senate finally denounced the violence tweeted, “Violence is always unacceptable. Even when passions run high.”

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) posted video of the clash between protestors and Capitol Police, and tweeted, “violence and destruction is not the way to express your grievances. This is disgraceful and have to end.”

Stoking the fire, Trump repeated his message at a gathering earlier that the election was rigged. He also said that he would never give up and never concede.”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), opened the gathering forcefully, denouncing objections filed by fellow Republicans. Within an hour, the mob broke into the Capitol by skirting barriers and barricades, halting the proceedings. He also said, “Nothing before us proves illegality anywhere near the massive scale that would have tripped the entire election.” He continued that electoral objections only warns of a “death spiral” for democracy. All 50 states and the District of Columbia have certified election results.

The vicious scene inside the House chamber, and outside on the steps of the building quickly became the bully pulpit where politicians were able to grab media time to state their intentions. For instance, it is expected that Cruz will posture himself for the 2024 presidential election, endearing himself to Trump and his supporters. However, Beto O’Rourke, the El Paso, TX, Democrat was surprised that Cruz would side with Trump after having called the president a “pathological liar” and “Utterly amoral” during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), a conservative and member of the House GOP leadership reminded all that Congress has no authority to overturn an election. “We have sworn an oath under God to defend the Constitution. We uphold that oath at all time, not only when it is politically convenient.”

The Republicans do not have the majority in the House, and following today’s elections in Georgia, the Senate appears to be evenly split, with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris the deciding vote if there is a tie.

This story will be updated as events continue.