Capitol breached as objections heard over Electoral College votes – Rome Sentinel

WASHINGTON Lawmakers were evacuated from the U.S. Capitol after protesters breached security and entered the building.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other senators were led out, escorted by staff and police on Wednesday afternoon. Members of the House were also evacuated. Both chambers had been debating the certification of Joe Bidens victory in the Electoral College.

Protesters could be seen marching through the Capitols Statuary Hall shouting and waving Trump banners and American flags. Although some who broke into the Capitol carried Trump flags, it is not known which of them were Trump supporters or outside instigators.

After the Capitol was breached, President Donald Trump called out the National Guard and state and federal police. Trump released a video message that said This is a fraudulent election but you cannot play into the hands of these people. He told demonstrators, Go home and go home in peace.

The Pentagon said about 1,100 District of Columbia National Guard members were being mobilized to help support law enforcement at the Capitol.

Earlier, during the joint session in the House Chamber, Vice President Mike Pence presided. Republican lawmakers mounted their first official challenge to Joe Bidens presidential election win Wednesday, objecting to state results from Arizona.

House Republican lawmakers object to the electoral votes in six states Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. All the states have certified their results as fair and accurate, but the plan was to challenge election results in states where procedures conflicted with requirements of the U.S. Constitution.

In the House, Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona, flanked by Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, rose to object. The objection forced debate in the House and Senate individually, sending lawmakers away to separate deliberations.

The effort is all but certain to fail, defeated by bipartisan majorities in Congress prepared to accept the November results. Biden, who won the Electoral College 306-232, would be inaugurated Jan. 20.

Trump vowed he would never concede and urged the crowd to march to the Capitol where hundreds had already gathered under tight security. But Trump supported a peaceful protest and did not encourage a breach of the building.

Biden won Arizona by more than 10,000 votes, and eight lawsuits challenging the results have failed for procedural reasons. The states Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the dismissal of an election challenge.

While other vice presidents, including Al Gore and Richard Nixon, also presided over their own defeats, Pence supports those Republican lawmakers mounting challenges to the 2020 outcome.

Its not the first time lawmakers have challenged results. Democrats did so in 2017 and 2005.

The group led by Cruz vowed to object unless Congress agrees to form a commission to investigate the election, but that seems unlikely.

Those with Cruz are Sens. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, James Lankford of Oklahoma, Steve Daines of Montana, John Kennedy of Louisiana, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Mike Braun of Indiana, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Roger Marshall of Kansas, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama.

Cruz insisted his aim was not to set aside the election but to investigate the claims of voting problems.

AP stories contributed to this report.

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Capitol breached as objections heard over Electoral College votes - Rome Sentinel