No Perimeter Defense

1:00 PM:

An initial wave of protesters arrives at the outer barricades below the west side of the Capitol as thousands more march towards the building.

Elijah Schaffer of The Blaze later tweets a video: “This is exact moment the siege of the Capitol building began as the two men in front ripped down a preliminary barrier & rushed officers who were behind a 2nd barrier They then encouraged others to follow their lead. Officers appeared to be taken completely off guard.”

1:00 PM:

USCP Chief Steven Sund calls Acting D.C. Police Chief Robert J. Contee, requesting officers for the protection of the Capitol complex itself. Contee later says he arrived at the

Capitol around 1 p.m. and saw pepper spray and munitions being used. He says he then called Mayor Bowser...he later went to the Police Command Center to orchestrate D.C. police response. Contee said the first goal, after the police were formally invited by USCP to the Capitol, was to help clear the building.

There are already many D.C. Police on duty and battling protestors on the National Mall to the west and below the Capitol Complex, which is Congressional property. The United States Capitol Building is located at the eastern end of the National Mall on a plateau 88 feet above the level of the Potomac River, commanding a westward view across Reflecting Pool to the

Washington Monument 1.4 miles away.

1:03 PM:

Schaffer of The Blaze tweets: “... Never seen anything like this. Insane. Thousands occupying.”

1:03 PM:

Vice President Mike Pence calls the Joint Session of Congress to order in the House of Representatives chamber.

“After ascertainment has been had that the certificates are authentic and correct in form, the tellers will count and make a list of the votes cast by the electors of the several States.”

He receives the certificate of the electoral vote of the States of Alabama and Alaska, without objection.

1:04 PM:

Slate’s Jim Newell tweets:

“In the House. No social distancing on the GOP side, and there are many more Republicans in the chamber to begin with. But just about everyone is masked.”

1:05 PM:

Rebecca Tan of The Washington Post tweets: “Protesters are charging toward the Captiol [sic] steps. Some tried to scale the construction structures [started for the January 20 Inaugura

tion] and have been tackled by police .... Capitol police trying to hold them back.”

1:09 PM:

USCP Chief Sund says he asks House Sergeant at Arms Paul D. Irving and Senate Sergeant at Arms Michael C. Stenger to declare an emergency and call for deployment of the D.C. National Guard.

Irving and Stenger state that they will forward the request up their chains of command. According to The Washington Post, soon afterward, aides to Congressional leaders arrive in Stenger’s office and are outraged to learn that he has not yet called for any reinforcement.

The sergeant at arms is the chief law enforcement and protocol officer for each house of Congress, each responsible for maintaining order on their sides. The sergeant at arms is also responsible for coordinating with the U.S. Capitol Police and various federal intelligence agencies to assess threats against members of Congress and the Capitol complex. 1:10 PM:

As the crowds continue to arrive at the Capitol by the thousands, protesters continue to fight with police at the foot of the Capitol steps.

The Washington Post writes: “Very quickly, the crowd outnumbered the Capitol Police, who had expected a far smaller gathering, according to law enforcement officials. Police had set up barricades outside the building as a show of police presence, but the protesters simply ignored them—easily knocking them over and hopping over them. Dozens of protesters pushed onto the steps and ledges of the building on all sides. On the grand staircase opposite the Library of Congress [on the east, or other side of the building], there were only a handful of officers...”

Schaffer of The Blaze tweets a frightening video: “...Trump supporters have breached the Capitol building, tearing down 4 layers of security fencing and are attempting to occupy the building—fighting federal police who are overrun This is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. Thousands, police can’t stop them.”

1:11 PM:

President Trump’s speech on the Ellipse ends. The President had told the crowd that he would be there with them at the Capitol. (He never joins the crowd.) At the conclusion of his speech, tens of thousands of more protesters begin their walk to the Capitol.

The U.S. Park Police initially estimates that 8,000 walk from the rally to the Capitol. This proves to be a vast undercount of those present in Washington, D.C., and on the Mall that day. 1:12 PM:

Speaker Pelosi again reminds members of the House of her “decorum requirements...in accordance with the guidance of the Attending Physician” that they should only remain in the chamber if they are participating in debate...

1:12 PM:

As the electoral vote certification continues, Rep. Paul A. Gosar (R-AZ) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) object to certifying Arizona’s electoral college votes.

Gosar says he is speaking for himself and 60 colleagues. When asked by Vice President Pence if their objection is in writing and signed by a senator, he answers yes, by Senator Cruz.

Slate’s Newell tweets: “Democrats groan, Republicans give standing ovation to Ted Cruz and Paul Gosar when they object to Arizona.”