Thu 07 January 2021:
At least four people died on or near the US Capitol as President Donald Trump’s supporters rioted and besieged the federal legislature, police said Wednesday. Hundreds of Trump’s supporters clashed with police during an apparent attempt to storm the Capitol building.
Videos on social media showed supporters tearing down security fences and confronting police to breach the building.
The Washington Post reported that two buildings at the Capitol complex have been evacuated amid the tension.
The US Senate recessed an Electoral College debate after hundreds of angry protestors stormed the Washington, D.C. Capitol building, forcing a lockdown by police.
Washington, D.C. residents received emergency phone calls Wednesday warning them that Mayor Muriel Bowser has enacted a citywide curfew beginning at 6 p.m. and extending for 12 hours.
The incident happened an hour after Vice President Mike Pence announced that he rejected Trump’s demand that he interfere in Congress’s counting of Electoral College votes.
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf on Wednesday called the storming of the US Capitol by President Donald Trump’s supporters “an attempted coup.”
“What we’re seeing today is not democracy—it’s an attempted coup. We had a free and fair election,” Wolf said on Twitter.
“The results were clear. Republicans from Pres. Trump to PA legislative leaders need to stop the disinformation and tell their supporters the truth before there’s further violence,” he wrote.
Woman shot and killed in Capitol identified as Air Force veteran
The woman who was shot and killed during rioting in the Capitol on Wednesday was identified as 35-year-old Ashli Babbitt, a California native and Air Force veteran, said her former husband. Washington Post Reported
Timothy McEntee wrote in text messages that Babbitt, of San Diego, was deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq in the Air Force, before other deployments with the National Guard to Kuwait and Qatar. McEntee and Babbitt met in the Air Force and were married for 14 years, before splitting in 2019.
“I feel absolutely terrible and sick to my stomach about it … she had a big head and a strong mind,” McEntee wrote. “She was never afraid to speak her mind and in a way this was her way of speaking her mind (going to the rally).”
Three died of medical emergencies
The people’s names and the circumstances of their deaths were not released during the late-night news conference with Contee and Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) on Wednesday.
Their deaths were in addition to the fatal shooting of a woman by a Capitol Police officer.
The chief also confirmed that police recovered two pipe bombs at the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee offices. A cooler that contained molotov cocktails also was found on U.S. Capitol grounds, the chief said. Bowser said officials will review video and issue lookout alerts for people who breached the U.S. Capitol, adding that they “need to be held accountable for the carnage.”
All four former US presidents denounce violence
Obama said in a statement that history will remember violence “incited by a sitting president who has continued to baselessly lie about the outcome of a lawful election.” But he also blamed “a political party and its accompanying media ecosystem” for playing along with Trump’s falsehoods, saying Republican leaders can either continue down a dark path or “choose reality.”
“The match was lit by Donald Trump and his most ardent enablers, including many in Congress, to overturn the results of an election he lost,” Clinton tweeted.
“This is how election results are disputed in a banana republic — not our democratic republic. I am appalled by the reckless behavior of some political leaders since the election,” Bush said in a statement.
Carter said in a statement that Wednesday’s events were a “national tragedy,” but did not cite Trump or his supporters while striking a hopeful tone. “Having observed elections in troubled democracies worldwide, I know that we the people can unite to walk back from this precipice to peacefully uphold the laws of our nation, and we must,” he said.
Suspected homemade bombs found near RNC and DNC headquarters
The FBI said it had dispatched with two suspicious devices that were uncovered in Washington after reports of improvised explosives on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol during Wednesday’s rioting.
“Two suspected explosive devices were rendered safe by the FBI and our law enforcement partners,” a spokesperson for the bureau said in a statement. “The investigation is ongoing.” CNBC reportedThe FBI said anyone who witnessed unlawful violent actions may submit information, photos or videos to fbi.gov/USCapitol. Tipsters may also call 1-800-CALL-FBI. Anyone with information but no digital media to submit may also contact the FBI at tips.fbi.gov.
Twitter locks Trump’s account for 12 hours and warns he could get kicked off permanently
As a result of the unprecedented and ongoing violent situation in Washington, D.C., we have required the removal of three @realDonaldTrump Tweets that were posted earlier today for repeated and severe violations of our Civic Integrity policy. https://t.co/k6OkjNG3bM
— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) January 7, 2021
Twitter, Facebook and Instagram locked US President Donald Trump’s accounts for varying amounts of time Wednesday over his inflammatory rhetoric after his supporters besieged the Capitol building.
Twitter, the first to take action, warned that its initial 12-hour freeze could be extended if Trump fails to take down posts that violated its policies, and further warned that future violations will result in his account’s suspension.
Nazi salute
A member of the mob outside the U.S. Capitol was seen on camera making what appeared to be the Nazi salute during The Post’s live analysis and reporting on Wednesday.
At about 3 p.m., anchor Libby Casey called viewers’ attention to the crowd of Trump supporters gathered around a door on the east side of the Capitol. Some rioters had breached security and entered the building, while others were trying to join them inside.
A man wearing a white “Make America Great Again” hat and a red bandanna loomed above the throng, close to the camera. Bending his arm at the elbow, he brought his hand to his hat, then stuck it straight up and out with his palm facing down, mimicking a gesture used during World War II to express loyalty to Adolf Hitler.
Trump officials resign
Several officials from President Donald Trump’s administration resigned late Wednesday after the storming of the US Capitol by his supporters.
The first to step down was Stephanie Grisham, the former White House press secretary and current chief of staff for first lady Melania Trump.
Later, White House deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews stepped down, effective immediately, in response to incidents at Congress.
“As someone who worked in the halls of Congress, I was deeply disturbed by what I saw today. I’ll be stepping down from my role, effective immediately. Our nation needs a peaceful transfer of power,” she said in a statement.
White House Social Secretary Rickie Niceta also submitted her resignation.
According to multiple sources, additional aides are considering resigning, including White House National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien.
Capitol breach ‘unacceptable, intolerable’: Pompeo
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called the breach of the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday “unacceptable” and “intolerable,” saying criminals who engaged in this act will face justice.
“The storming of the U.S. Capitol today is unacceptable. Lawlessness and rioting — here or around the world — is always unacceptable. I have traveled to many countries and always support the right of every human being to protest peacefully for their beliefs and their causes,” Pompeo said on Twitter.
“But violence, putting at risk the safety of others including those tasked with providing security for all of us, is intolerable both at home and abroad,” the top diplomat continued. “Let us swiftly bring justice to the criminals who engaged in this rioting.”
Emphasizing that America “is better than what we saw today,” Pompeo said he “saw firsthand democracy at its best.”
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