Extremists flooded the Capitol shortly following President Trump's speech in which he again falsely claimed to have won the 2020 election against President-elect Joe Biden.
President Donald Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, shortly following Trump's speech in which he again falsely claimed to have won the 2020 election against President-elect Joe Biden. Then, police in Washington D.C. declared a lockdown.
Here is what happened:
Joe Biden was certified as the 46th president of the U.S. on Wednesday evening after a mob of Trump loyalists stormed the U.S. Capitol in an incident that ultimately left four dead. Extremists broke through the doors of the building around 1:30 p.m., halting the joint session of Congress for several hours before it was able to proceed later that evening.
Proceedings resumed around 8 p.m. ET. Vice President Mike Pence restarted the session proclaiming, "let's get back to work."
Four people died Thursday during the violent assault on the United States Capitol. Three had medical emergencies outside, and one woman, 35-year-old Ashli Babbitt, was shot by police while appearing to climb through an indoor window in the Capitol.
Babbitt was an Air Force veteran who tweeted “nothing will stop us” the day before she joined other Trump supporters as they stormed the Capitol.
She served 14 years and did tours in Iran and Afghanistan. She lived in San Diego, had been divorced but recently remarried and owned a pool service and supply business. Babbitt boarded a flight to D.C., heeding Trump’s call to converge on the nation’s capital.
“There is a sea of nothing but red, white and blue, patriots and Trump,” Babbitt said in a video she posted of herself at Trump’s rally Wednesday morning.
Demands mounted Thursday from lawmakers, business leaders and former government officials for the immediate removal of President Trump after a violent mob of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attack that left four people dead.
Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois became the first Republican to denounce Trump and call for his firing. "It's time to invoke the 25th Amendment and end this nightmare," he said in a videotaped speech posted to Twitter.
Sen. Chuck Schumer, of New York, the Democratic Senate Minority Leader, said much the same, pleading for the invocation of the Constitution's 25th Amendment to get rid of a president many blame for inciting rioters to desecrate the heart of American democracy.
So what is the 25th Amendment? Click the link above for a synopsis of the constitutional provision that allows for the president's removal under certain circumstances.
World Leaders Rebuke Trump Vigilantes Who Stormed and Vandalized US Capitol
Global leaders have reacted with disgust after Trump extremists, some armed, bombarded the U.S. Capitol trying to halt congressional certification of the 2020 election, which was won by Democrat Joe Biden.
"Disgraceful scenes in U.S. Congress," Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson posted on Twitter. "The United States stands for democracy around the world and it is now vital that there should be a peaceful and orderly transfer of power."
Brutal images and video of marauding Trump supporters bludgeoning their way into the Capitol as Congress members barricaded themselves inside and Capitol Police drew their guns, transfixed viewers around the globe.
The chaos stunned international politicians. Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted that what she saw was "utterly horrifying."
Democratic Party leaders are calling on a newly elected West Virginia state lawmaker to resign and for him to “be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” after he allegedly recorded video of himself, along with other President Donald Trump supporters, who forced their way into the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, CBS News reported.
"We're in! Keep it moving, baby!" shouted Republican Delegate Derrick Evans, video of the incident showed. Evans was wearing a helmet as he marched around the iconic building that has been the meeting chambers of the Senate and the House of Representatives for more than two centuries.
Lawmakers returned to the Senate floor of the U.S. Capitol to finish the counting of the Electoral votes, several hours after the building was stormed by pro-Trump extremists.
"They tried to disrupt our democracy. They failed. They failed," Senator Mitch McConnell said, addressing lawmakers as they prepared to continue the certification process.
Vice President Mike Pence, who earlier rejected President Donald Trump's request to block President-elect Joe Biden's confirmation, said as lawmakers reconvened, "To those who wreak havoc on our capitol today, you did not win. Violence never wins. Freedom wins. And this is still the peoples’ House."
Quick-Thinking Congressional Staffers Rescue Electoral Ballot Boxes Right Before Mob Enters Chamber
Quick-thinking congressional aides are being credited with protecting the ballot boxes containing the official electoral votes during Wednesday’s siege of the Capitol. The staffers can be seen carrying the boxes out of harm’s way.
“If our capable floor staff hadn't grabbed them, they would have been burned by the mob," Sen. Jeff Markley, D-Oregon, tweeted.
Thousands of the president's supporters gathered in D.C. for the speech and to protest the certification of Biden's victory. Following Trump's speech, many of his supporters descended on the U.S. Capitol. Protests were expected to take place throughout the day as members of Congress counted electoral votes, a formality that finalizes that Biden won the election, but those protests quickly escalated into a full storming of the Capitol.
Rioters tore down metal barricades, clashed with uniformed officers and broke into the Capitol itself. The District of Columbia National Guard activated 340 members to support the D.C. Metropolitan Police during the demonstrations in response to a request from D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, CBS News reported.
Armed security officers stood with guns drawn as protestors tried to storm a barricaded door in the House chambers. At one point, Congress members were told to don face masks because tear gas was going to be deployed. One member called the violence "a coup attempt."
The chaos followed a rabid speech by President Trump, who encouraged them to march to Congress and declaring "We will never concede. We will not take it anymore."
Threatening Note Left on Nancy Pelosi's Desk as Her Office Is Breached by Pro-Trump Protesters
Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office has been breached as pro-Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol. One photo from inside her office shows a man sitting at her desk with his feet up. Another shows a threatening note on a manila folder that reads, “WE WILL NOT BACK DOWN.”
Rioters had also flipped tables and pulled photos off the walls of Pelosi’s office, The New York Times reported, adding that there are additional incidents of looting around the Capitol.
Photos From Inside the US Capitol as Pro-Trump Extremists Storm the Building
Photojournalists on location as pro-Trump extremists stormed the U.S. Capitol documented the events, from demonstrators being detained outside the House Chamber, to the woman who was shot.
2 Explosive Devices Found Near US Capitol While Trump Supporters Storm the Building
Two explosive devices were found just a few blocks from the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, resulting in the evacuation of the Republican National Committee and Democratic National Committee headquarters, according to The New York Times.
A pipe bomb was found at the R.N.C. headquarters and it was successfully destroyed by a bomb squad, an official for the R.N.C. told the Times. The second package found at the D.N.C. hasn't been confirmed to be an explosive, a top Democrat briefed on the matter told the outlet.
President-elect Joe Biden condemned armed rioters who stormed the Capitol on Wednesday, saying their behavior "borders on sedition" and implored President Donald Trump to go on live television to drive them out of Congress.
Instead, Trump posted a video to Twitter, lying again about winning the 2020 presidential election and stoking the flames of chaos. "We had an election that was stolen from us, it was a landslide election. Everyone knows it, especially the other side."
This is an ongoing story. Click here for CBSN's coverage as developments follow.
