Trump supporters battle police, invade Capitol in protest of President's election loss
Trump supporters battle police, invade Capitol in protest of President's election loss
Congress finishes electoral vote count and confirms Biden as next President
For the first time since the War of 1812, the U.S. Capitol was invaded, this time by supporters of President Trump. Congress still counts the electoral votes showing Biden won. And Democrats lay claim to a majority-changing double Senate win in Georgia. This is “Regular Order” for January 7, 2021.
A DAY LIKE NO OTHER: We have seen huge protests outside the Capitol, and protests inside. But none of us had ever seen anything like Wednesday, when thousands of supporters of President Trump broke through security, stormed into the Capitol complex, occupied the Senate floor, and laid siege to lawmakers in the House Chamber. The attack by thousands - many with Trump flags and MAGA hats - came as the Congress was counting the electoral votes that showed Joe Biden won the 2020 election, something the President clearly wanted to derail.
ONE DEAD BY HOUSE CHAMBER: During the attack on the Capitol, one woman was shot and killed by security forces, when she tried to climb through a broken window, and enter the Speaker's Lobby, just off the House Floor. This is an area where I have spent countless hours of my work life, talking to lawmakers, and reporting on the workings of Congress. To see these supporters of the President breaking down historic doors and shattering glass is a terrible sight. And then to have it end with the death is even worse. Note: this video might be shocking to some.
CAPITOL POLICE - WHAT HAPPENED? There are certain to be major questions raised by lawmakers about the preparation of the Capitol Police on Wednesday, and the security choices made in dealing with the attack on the Capitol. In a building where reporters and staff face layer after layer of security inside and outside on a daily basis, it was baffling to see hundreds and hundreds of Trump supporters roaming the Capitol without being challenged by security personnel. At one point, some of them were just hanging out on the Senate floor. I’ve seen protesters in wheelchairs handled rougher than many of those who got in the Capitol on Wednesday.
FINGER POINTING AT TRUMP. Democrats called for the President’s impeachment and his resignation, blaming him for the violence. Some Republicans also denounced his seeming words of encouragement for his supporters who attacked the Capitol. “This is a coup attempt,” said Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL). "What happened at the U.S. Capitol today was an insurrection, incited by the President of the United States," said Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT). ‘Insurrection’ was also a word used by former President George W. Bush, who assailed the ‘reckless behavior of some of our political leaders since the election.’
CONGRESS CONFIRMS BIDEN WIN. After rioters forced lawmakers to spend several hours in a secure facility for their protection, the House and Senate worked until after 3:30 am to count the 2020 electoral votes, confirming that Joe Biden will be the next President. Instead of a simple 41 minute Congressional ceremony for President Trump’s win four years ago, this took almost 14 hours, and nearly dissolved into a Dem vs GOP fist fight at one point on the House floor around 1:45 am.
ONLY TWO OBJECTIONS. In part because of the attack on the Capitol, GOP Senators joined House Republicans to force debate on the electoral votes of only two states - Arizona and Pennsylvania. The Senate voted 93-6 to reject the Arizona challenge, and 92-7 against the Pennsylvania objection. Many more Republicans supported President Trump in the House; the Arizona vote was 303-121 against, and 282-138 against the Pennsylvania challenge. No evidence of election fraud was found by courts in either of those states.
GEORGIA AS GOP KILLER. If not for the attack on the Capitol by President Trump’s supporters, the big political story would be the worst election nightmare coming true for Republicans in Georgia, with runoff losses for both Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) and Sen. David Perdue (R-GA). You can't sugarcoat these results - it is an election disaster for the GOP, as they will lose control of the Senate in coming weeks, when Kamala Harris is sworn in as Vice President on January 20.
TRUMP BLAMED FOR GOP LOSSES. The Senate runoff campaigns in Georgia were not dominated by issues - other than Perdue and Loeffler yelling a lot about socialism. Instead, the races were overshadowed by President Trump's fabricated claims of election fraud, and his attacks on leading GOP elected officials, from the Governor of Georgia on down. "We went from talking about jobs and the economy to Qanon election conspiracies in 4 short years," tweeted Josh Holmes, a former top aide to Sen. Mitch McConnell. It was not a winning election formula for Republicans.
THE MUSE OF HISTORY. The last invasion of the Capitol was by British troops in August of 1814, while the Congress was in recess. Weeks later, House members quickly moved to set up a committee 'to inquire into the causes of the capture of this city by the enemy." Yesterday's destruction by Trump supporters of various offices, doors, windows, and other items inside the Capitol created the largest amount of damage in the building in nearly 207 years. All of it was done by Americans - not a foreign army.
UPCOMING LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM:
House meets at 11 am on Monday.
Senate not due back for legislative business until January 19.
President Trump is in Washington.
Follow me on Twitter @jamiedupree
Email me at jamiedupree@substack.com
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“Conference reports may be brought up at any time. Any further program will be announced later.”
This country is in trouble when both the left and right are whipped into a violent frenzy over issues based on a false premise. Such is life in the age of social media. We need statesmen on both sides of the aisle. Thank you Jamie for your fact based reporting.
Thank you Jamie. I’m still astonished at the ease with which these people occupied the capitol. There was plenty of warning and the building should have been like a fortress that day. I feel such sadness and anger.