TRUMP-INCITED MOB STORMS U.S. CAPITOL Electoral College:
Congress rejects bid to overturn Arizona vote, clearing path for Biden to the White House
Rioters: Protest turns violent, deadly when horde breaks into, loots chamber
After a lengthy delay, Congress returns to complete the task
Social media: Internet forums popular with far-right fringe elements celebrate chaos
The Senate on Wednesday evening overwhelmingly turned aside a challenge to Presidentelect Joe Biden’s victory in Arizona, guaranteeing the result will stand.
The objection to the results in Arizona — spearheaded by Rep. Paul Gosar and Sen. Ted Cruz — was rejected 93- 6 Wednesday night. All votes in favor came from Republicans, but after violent protesters mobbed the Capitol earlier Wednesday, a number of GOP senators who had planned to support the objection reversed course.
The Republicans raised the objection based on false claims pushed by President Donald Trump and others of issues with the vote in Arizona, which were repeatedly dismissed in Arizona’s courts and by the state’s election officials.
The Senate vote came as Congress reconvened to continue tallying Electoral College votes after angry supporters of President Trump stormed the Capitol
Wednesday in a chaotic protest, forcing lawmakers to be rushed from the building and interrupting challenges to Biden’s Electoral College victory.
Congress returned after the Capitol was cleared by law enforcement.
Congress had not com
pleted the vote tally late Wednesday and further objections related to other contested states were still possible, though some Republicans who earlier said they would object had changed their minds in the wake of the attack on the Capitol.
Sens. Steve Daines of Montana, Mike Braun of Indiana and Kelly Loeffler of Georgia all said in light of the violence they would
stand down from planned objections to Biden’s win.
All three had previously signed on to Trump’s false claims of widespread voter fraud to explain his defeat. Loeffler has just days left in her term. She lost her Senate race to Democrat Raphael Warnock earlier Wednesday.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, reopening the proceedings after the riot, said Congress “will
not be deterred” in confirming the results of the presidential election.
Demonstrators “tried to disrupt our democracy. They failed,” McConnell said, adding that he would keep the Senate in session Wednesday to finish confirming the results.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Congress’ certification of Biden’s election win will show the world it won’t back down.
“Despite the shameful actions of today, we will still do so, we will be part of a history that shows the world what America is made of,” Pelosi said.
Republican Sen. Josh Hawley said late Wednesday that he would go forward with his objection to the Electoral College results in Pennsylvania despite the violence earlier in the day.
The Missouri senator said he did not support vi
olence, but said the Senate should go forward with a legal process that includes his objections.
Hawley said his objections should be debated “peacefully, without violence, without attacks, without bullets.”
He said he hoped lawmakers would not brush his concerns aside because of the violence earlier Wednesday, including the death of a protester inside the Capitol.