- Pro-Trump rioters breached the US
Capitol building on Wednesday, and several entered the Senate chamber. - Photos of the rioters inside the chamber show people sitting in Senate members' seats, scaling walls, and waving flags in support of Trump.
- One of the rioters yelled "Trump won that election," while others shouted, "Where are they?"
Pro-Trump rioters breached the US Capitol building on Wednesday, and images show demonstrators storming the Senate chambers while carrying a Confederate flag.
The rioters breached the Capitol as lawmakers were debating objections to Arizona's Electoral College votes that were certified following the presidential election between President
Members of the Senate and the House of Representative were escorted out of their chambers before the rioters reached them, and their debates were put on recess.
Photos of the rioters inside the chamber show people sitting where Vice President Mike Pence was sitting moments earlier, as well as scaling walls and waving flags in support of Trump.
One of the rioters yelled "Trump won that election," while others shouted "Where are they," as they walked through the Capitol halls, the Associated Press reported.
Trump and his allies spent the last two months attempting to overturn the 2020 election results, and rioters who stormed the Capitol building were part of a "Stop the Steal" protest that was taking place in Washington, DC.
Videos shared on Twitter had shown Trump supporters charging toward Capital Police and knocking down fences before bursting into the Capitol building.
One person was shot during the clashes, and reportedly died Wednesday night.
After egging on protests during a speech on Wednesday morning, Trump asked his supporters to "stay peaceful" as they continued to form the Capitol building.
"Please support our Capitol Police and Law Enforcement," Trump tweeted, as tear gas was deployed in the locked-down Capitol. "They are truly on the side of our Country. Stay peaceful!"
In a video later uploaded to Twitter, Trump said called his supporters "very special," and said: "I know your pain. I know your hurt. But you have to go home now."
At the rally earlier on Wednesday, Trump had told supporters, "We're going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women, and we're probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them," according to the Associated Press.
HuffPost politics reporter Igor Bobic was among several reporters and media agencies that shared multiple images of the chamber, one of which showed someone standing at the front with a fist in the air.
—Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) January 6, 2021
—Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) January 6, 2021
Pro-Trump rioters also attempted to breach the House of Representatives chamber, and there was an armed standoff at the front door.
—Zak Hudak (@cbszak) January 6, 2021
Some rioters also breached Congress members' offices, with one leaving a note on Nancy Pelosi's desk, which read: "We will not back down."
—Frank Pallotta (@frankpallotta) January 6, 2021
Outside of the Capitol, rioters took over the building's steps, where they waved American flags, and shouted "stop the steal" in support of Trump.
The DC Mayor's office and Speaker's officer requested the presence of the National Guard at the Capitol Wednesday afternoon, and The Virginia Pilot reported that amid the chaos, Governor Ralph Northam said he was sending 200 state troopers and members of the Virginia National Guard to the US Capitol.
Multiple GOP leaders have condemned the riots, using more forceful language than Trump's request for peace.
Pence asked people to leave the Capitol, saying: "The violence and destruction taking place at the US Capitol Must Stop and it Must Stop Now. Anyone involved must respect Law Enforcement officers and immediately leave the building. Peaceful protest is the right of every American but this attack on our Capitol will not be tolerated and those involved will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
Trump's former chief of staff Mick Mulvaney tweeted: "The President's tweet is not enough. He can stop this now and needs to do exactly that. Tell these folks to go home."
President-elect Joe Biden, meanwhile, called the rioters a "violent siege" and an "insurrection," urging for calm amid the chaos.
- Read more:
- Global news outlets are calling pro-Trump protesters storming the US Capitol a 'coup de force'
- 'This is a coup attempt': Lawmakers with military experience condemn the right-wing protests and compare it to Iraq deployments
- Former DC police chief says Trump supporters storming Capitol 'as close to a coup attempt' as the US has ever seen
- Video shows chaos unfolding at the US Capitol as Trump supporters storm offices