Protests rage outside Capitol as Congress meets to finalize Biden victory

Supporters of US President Donald Trump take over stands set up for the presidential inauguration as they protest at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, January 6, 2021. – Thousands of Trump supporters, fueled by his spurious claims of voter fraud, are flooding the nation’s capital protesting the expected certification of Joe Biden’s White House victory by the US Congress. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

by: Nexstar Media Wire

Posted: Jan 6, 2021 / 01:58 PM EST

Updated: Jan 8, 2021 / 02:22 PM EST

(NEXSTAR) – Supporters of President Donald Trump marched on the U.S. Capitol building Wednesday as members of the U.S. House and Senate met to record the vote tally affirming Joe Biden as the next president.

Around 2:20 p.m. ET, images shared on social media show protestors inside the Capitol building.

Protesters have breached the Capitol. They’re outside the Senate chamber pic.twitter.com/I021tKliUD
— Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) January 6, 2021

Reporters stationed outside of the Capitol report a chaotic scene where pro-Trump protesters were attempting to gain access to the proceedings, forcing police to hold them back.

“Protesters are charging toward the Capitol steps,” tweeted The Washington Post’s Rebecca Tan. “Some tried to scale the construction structures and have been tackled by police.”

Social media postings from the scene show crowds moving forward on police and officers attempting to hold the line.

Police told congressional staff members they should evacuate the Cannon House Office Building — adjacent to the Capitol — and the building that houses the Library of Congress, but it was not immediately clear if that action was related to the protests.

Capitol Police instructs people to evacuate House Cannon building. No reason was given
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) January 6, 2021

Inside, Republicans from the House and Senate have objected to the counting of Arizona’s electoral vote, forcing votes in both chambers on Biden’s victory in the state.

The objection was made by Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar and was signed by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Both are Republicans. The two chambers now have two hours to debate the challenge.

Biden won the state by more than 10,000 votes. In all, eight lawsuits challenging Biden’s Arizona win have failed, in part over a lack of evidence.

At a rally earlier Wednesday, Trump himself vowed that “we will never concede” as he spoke to supporters shortly before Congress was to convene for a joint session to confirm the Electoral College vote won by Biden.

Trump took the stage at the Save America rally, which drew thousands of supporters who swamped the nation’s capital as the president’s Republican allies in the House and Senate planned to object to his 2020 election loss to Biden.

Trump urged Vice President Mike Pence, who will play a largely ceremonial role in the process, to block certification of Biden’s win. Pence does not have this power.

“Our country has had enough,” Trump said. “We won’t take it anymore.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report

Politics