Congress continues counting after pro-Trump rioters invaded Capitol

Joe Biden was well on his way to be confirmed as the next President of the United States by Congress Thursday morning after the Senate and House of Representatives overwhelmingly rejected the challenges of his Arizona and Pennsylvania votes.

Biden is expected to be re-elected president when Vermont’s votes open later Thursday morning during a joint congressional session. With that, the former Democratic vice president has passed the 270 electoral college vote required to win the White House.

Congress began on Wednesday afternoon by counting the votes of the electoral college.

However, that trial was interrupted for about six hours by a mob who stormed the Capitol and breached its buildings in anger over the loss of President Donald Trump in the election and conviction that he was a victim of election fraud.

The count resumed around 8 p.m. Wednesday after a woman who was part of the invaders was shot dead by Capitol Police during the riot and three other people died from medical emergencies.

The leaders of the Senate Republican and Democratic Assemblies, as they resumed proceedings, swore that Congress would approve Biden’s election “tonight.”

Vice President Mike Pence arrives to chair a joint congressional session at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 6, 2021.

Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images

During the night, the two houses of Congress met separately to discuss and then vote on Republican objections to Biden voters from Arizona and then Pennsylvania.

Only six GOP Senators voted to uphold the objection to the Arizona voters and seven Senators to uphold the challenge to the Pennsylvania plan. In both cases, more than 90 senators voted against the objections.

More than 100 members of the Republican House voted in favor of the objections against voters in both states, but those voters were easily defeated by the more than 280 votes against the measures.

Prior to the uprising, there were concerns that it could take many hours or even days to confirm that Biden won the electoral college by 306 votes against Trump’s 232, as some Republican senators and members of the House of Representatives expected objections to state voters .

These objections were based on allegations by Trump and others that he was defrauded of winning a second term for widespread electoral fraud in a handful of battlefield states, for which there is no credible evidence.

However, there was no expectation that Biden would ever be denied his final victory, as both houses would need a majority in both houses of Congress to turn down a state’s electorate.

Democrats control the House of Representatives and guarantee that they would meet any challenge in this Chamber.

In the Senate, efforts are doomed to failure because while Republicans still have a slim majority there, many GOP Senators have opposed overturning the election results from any state.

Senator Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., Who lost a special election Tuesday night, said ahead of the Senate vote that she would have no objection to the counting of votes for Biden, despite announcing earlier this week that she would do so.

“The events that happened today forced me to think twice, and I can now with a clear conscience have nothing against it,” said Loeffler, referring to the uprising.

After the challenge to Arizona’s constituents failed in the House of Representatives, the Senators went to the House to continue the process of Vice President Mike Pence, who oversaw the opening of individual state ballots and asked if there were any objections to the results.

It only takes a House of Representatives and a Senator to question the results of a state, resulting in up to two hours of debate in the chambers.

MPs’ objection to Biden voters from Georgia, Michigan, and Nevada, all of which were critical to his victory, did not delay the count, as no senator joined the objection for those states.

But the count stalled when Pence asked if there were any objections to Pennsylvania in which Hawley was attending.

House spokeswoman Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Said in a letter to colleagues that the decision to resume vote counting quickly after the uprising was made in consultation with political leaders, including Pence.

“Our goal is being achieved,” Pelosi said as she convened the session of the House about an hour after the Senate resumed its own trial.

“Today was a dark day in the history of the United States Capitol,” said Pence as he opened the Senate session.

“We strongly condemn the violence that has taken place here,” said the vice president, who previously served as an Indiana congressman

“The violence has been suppressed, the Capitol is secured and the work of the people continues,” said Pence.

“For those who wreaked havoc at our Capitol today, you did not win. Violence never wins. Freedom wins,” he said.

“Let’s get back to work.”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Said, “The United States Senate will not be intimidated.”

“We’re back to our posts, we’re going to do our duty,” said McConnell. “We gathered this afternoon to count our citizens’ votes and formalize their election of the president.”

“We will certify the winner of the 2020 presidential election,” he concluded.

Minority leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., has beaten Trump, whom he called “undoubtedly our worst president” and whom he described as “much of the blame” for the uprising.

“This mob was largely President Trump’s cause,” said Schumer. “His responsibility, his eternal shame.”

Police guard the US Capitol during a protest against the confirmation of the results of the 2020 US presidential election by the US Congress on January 6, 2021 in Washington.

Jim Bourg | Reuters

Comparing the invasion of the Capitol Complex by a horde of people to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Schumer said January 6, 2021 would be another “day of shame” in American history.

“This temple of democracy has been desecrated,” he said. “This will be a stain on our land that will not be so easily washed away.”

“We’re going to start the hard work tonight to fix the country.”

The pro-Trump mob triggered lockdowns and evacuations in the Capitol and forced lawmakers out of the House and Senate chambers shortly after the trial began at 1 p.m.

Rioters were found to be walking through the halls of the government building, entering the offices of politicians and occupying the Senate Chamber.

This develops messages. Please try again