A joint session of the US Congress and Senate confirmed the Electoral College victory of President-Elect Joe Biden as an insurrection mounted by pro-Trump supporters instigated by the President failed to overturn the certification in chaotic scenes in the heart of the world citadel of democracy on Thursday morning.
Vice President Mike Pence, who was earlier urged by President Donald Trump to overturn the election result, pronounced Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as the lawful victors of the Presidential Election around 3.45 am after the congress and senate representatives reconvened following a break-in to the Capitol Building by a mob of Trump supporters, four of whom were killed in the rioting. Pence was whisked to safety by Police.
One pro-Trump supporter, a 35-year-old woman, was shot by Police inside the Capitol and later succumbed to injuries. A few hours later, Trump finally said via Twitter that he would commit to a peaceful transition of power on January 20.
In scenes that were reminiscent of armed insurrections and coups in some Third World countries, rioters who were earlier told by President Trump to “be strong” to “march to the Capitol to stop the steal” broke through barricades and entered the Capitol building. This was the first time ever that such scenes had been witnessed in the US as far as Presidential transitions are concerned. At least 52 rioters, some of whom were carrying Trump and Confederate flags, were arrested. They were mostly white. Trump, who spent months stoking the anger of his supporters with false claims that the election was stolen and refused to condemn the violent protests on Wednesday, said early Thursday that there would be an orderly presidential transition this month.
“Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th,” he said in a statement.
The statement, which had to be issued through surrogates since Trump’s Twitter account was suspended, came moments after Vice President Mike Pence affirmed Biden as the winner of the presidential election.
There was no parallel in modern American history, with insurgents acting in the president’s name vandalizing Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office, smashing windows, looting art and briefly taking control of the Senate chamber, where they took turns posing for photographs with fists up on the dais where Pence had just been presiding.Biden, speaking as the scenes of destruction in the halls of Congress left lawmakers from both parties horrified, blamed Trump for fomenting the insurrection. “At their best, the words of a president can inspire. At their worst, they can incite,” Biden said.
The upheaval unfolded on a day when Democrats secured a stunning pair of victories in runoff elections in Georgia, winning effective control of the Senate and the levers of power in Washington.
(NYT, Agencies)
