6 January 2021.
Following a speech from outgoing President Donald Trump, in which he vowed he would "never concede", Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol Building, rallying against the results of the November 2020 presidential election. Video / AP / Supplied
KEY POINTS: • Three White House staffers have now resigned and others, including New Zealander deputy chief of staff Chris Liddell, are reportedly considering doing the same following violent protests in the US Capitol building by Donald Trump supporters. • The certification of President-elect Joe Biden's Electoral College victory, which was interupted amid the clash is complete • A Trump supporter has died of a gunshot wound and police officers have been injured. • A 12-hour curfew has kicked in across Washington DC. • Twitter has begun removing Trump tweets and have locked the President out of his account for 12 hours.
US President Donald Trump now says there "will be an orderly transition on January 20th" after Congress concluded the electoral vote count certifying President-elect Joe Biden's victory and after a day of violence when his supporters stormed the US Capitol.
Trump says in a statement tweeted by his social media director Dan Scavino, "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 adds: "I have always said we would continue our fight to ensure that only legal votes were counted. While this represents the end of the greatest first term in presidential history, it's only the beginning of our fight to Make America Great Again."
Trump has spent the last two months refusing to concede the election and making baseless allegations of mass voter fraud that have been rejected by dozens of courts and Republican officials, including his former attorney general.
Vice President Mike Pence presided over the formal session that ended early morning local time, tallying the electoral college vote.
Cruz says vote objection 'was the right thing to do'
Republican Senator Ted Cruz is defending his objection to the Electoral College results as "the right thing to do."
The Texas senator condemned the violence that erupted as supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol in an extraordinary attack over the election outcome.
Cruz led the first challenge to Joe Biden's defeat of President Donald Trump by objecting to Arizona's results.
He sought to have Congress launch a commission to investigate the election. His effort was roundly defeated in the House and Senate.
Cruz said he was confident the country will have a "peaceful and orderly transition of power."
Biden is set to be inaugurated January 20.
Earlier the House joined the Senate in turning aside Republican objections to Pennsylvania's electoral vote.
Lawmakers in the House voted 282-138 against the objection as the counting of Electoral College votes continued tonight.
The Senate shut down the same objection 92-7 just after midnight local time, and unlike the House, declined to debate before voting.
After a long day dominated by pro-Trump rioters' deadly storming of the Capitol, it was the second state for which a group of Republicans tried and failed to reverse the will of voters.
Some GOP lawmakers have backed Trump's bogus claims that the election was fraudulent.
Those objecting to Pennsylvania's votes included 80 House Republicans and Missouri GOP Senator Josh Hawley, who is considered a potential 2024 presidential contender.
Trump staff exodus after day of disgrace
Three White House staffers have now resigned and others, including New Zealander deputy chief of staff Chris Liddell, are reportedly considering doing the same following a day of violence in Washington DC in which Trump supporters breached the US Capitol Building to rail against the results of the presidential election.
White House social secretary Anna Cristina "Rickie" Niceta has resigned her role, effective immediately, and Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Matthews has also reportedly resigned in response to the siege.
Stephanie Grisham, the former White House communications director and press secretary and current chief of staff for first lady Melania Trump, resigned in response to the day's events, CNN reports.
White House deputy chief of staff Chris Liddell. Photo / Doug Sherring
The mob of Trump-supporting protesters made its way into the US Capitol earlier today, forcing police to evacuate lawmakers and delaying the constitutional process to affirm President-elect Joe Biden's victory in the November election. Violent clashes between protesters and police took place throughout the day before riot police dispersed the crowds with tear gas.
Authorities say the Capitol Building is now secure and protestors cawere moved along after a 12-hour curfew kicked in across Washington DC. Thirty people have been arrested for curfew violations and 15 were arrested after the storming of the Capitol.
A woman shot in the day's chaos, who later died of her injuries, has now been identified as Ashli Babbit.
Kusi News in San Diego reports Babbit's husband confirmed the death and said she was a strong Trump supporter and "a great patriot to all who knew her".
The day before she was shot, Babbit tweeted: "Nothing will stop us… they can try and try and try but the storm is here and it is descending upon DC in less than 24 hours… dark to light".
Ashli Babbit. Photo / Twitter
Babbit also retweeted on Wednesday morning (US time) a "MUST BE DONE LIST before Congress meets today".
It included, "Mike Pence must resign & thereafter be charged with TREASON" and "Chief Justice John Roberts must RESIGN".
Former presidents condemn Trump
Former presidents have savaged Donald Trump for inciting today's deadly rioting at Capitol Hill, as the certification of President-elect Joe Biden's Electoral College victory resumes.
Bill Clinton pleaded for a peaceful transfer of power to the new administration.
He said the "unprecedented assault on our Capitol, our Constitution, and our country" was fuelled by "more than four years of poison politics spreading deliberate misinformation, sowing distrust in our system, and pitting Americans against one another".
He added: "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."
Former President Barack Obama implored Republicans to "choose reality and take the first steps toward extinguishing the flames".
"History will rightly remember today's violence at the Capitol, incited by a sitting president who has continued to baselessly lie about the outcome of a lawful election, as a moment of great dishonor and shame for our nation. But we'd be kidding ourselves if we treated it as a total surprise.
"I've been heartened to see many members of the President's party speak up forcefully today. Their voices add to the examples of Republican state and local election officials in states like Georgia who've refused to be intimidated and have discharged their duties honorably. We need more leaders like these — right now and in the days, weeks, and months ahead as President-elect Biden works to restore a common purpose to our politics. It's up to all of us as Americans, regardless of party, to support him in that goal."
Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi at the joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington. Photo / AP
Jimmy Carter, the 39th president, said: "Rosalynn and I are troubled by the violence at the U.S. Capitol today. This is a national tragedy and is not who we are as a nation."
Congress resumes
The joint session of Congress was interrupted after protesters breached the Capitol Building but it has since resumed.
So far, the Senate has overwhelmingly turned aside a challenge to Biden's victory in Arizona.
Vice President Mike Pence reconvened the joint session, condemning the violence.
Pence: "Today was a dark day in the history of the US Capitol ... we condemn the violence that took place here in the strongest possible terms ... to those who wreaked havoc in our Capitol today, you did not win. Violence never wins. Freedom wins ... let's get back to work." pic.twitter.com/NcP2MWrwEU
"We defended our Capitol today. We'll always be grateful. The men and women who stayed at their post to defend this historic place.
"Those who wreaked havoc in our Capitol today, you did not win. Violence never wins. Freedom wins. This is still the people's house. As we reconvene in this chamber, the world will again witness the resilience and strength of our democracy."
Violence erupted following a Trump rally on Wednesday in which he vowed to 'never concede'. Photo / AP
The violence in Washington followed a rally held earlier in the day where Trump had vowed to "never concede" the 2020 election, which he continues to claim was fraudulently won by President-elect Biden.
Trump said he was winning the race until "explosions of bulls***" turned the results in Biden's favour.
The speech prompted protesters to rush towards the Capitol. They soon took control of the steps of the Capitol Building before making their way inside inside.
The protesters abruptly interrupted the congressional proceedings in an eerie scene that featured official warnings directing people to duck under their seats for cover and put on gas masks after tear gas was used and police barricaded the House of Representatives.
Lawmakers paused their vote on certifying Biden's Electoral College win and evacuated the chamber. Protestors continued trying to break down the door of the House.
US Capitol Police with guns drawn defend House Chamber. Photo / AP
I am in the House Chambers. We have been instructed to lie down on the floor and put on our gas masks. Chamber security and Capitol Police have their guns drawn as protesters bang on the front door of the chamber.
This is not a protest. This is an attack on America.
Biden called on Trump to go on television and "demand an end to this siege".
The President-elect said the protesters did not represent America and that the invasion of the Capitol "borders on chaos, borders on sedition".
BREAKING: President-elect Joe Biden: "I call on Pres. Trump to go on national television now to fulfill his oath and defend the Constitution and demand an end to this siege."
Soon after, Trump posted a video to Twitter in which he asked his supporters to "go home and go home in peace" but continued to falsely claim the election had been stolen from him.
After first issuing a restriction on Trump's tweets - preventing supporters from liking or retweeting them - Twitter began removing Trump tweets in their entirety and has now locked the President out of his account for 12 hours following "violations of our civic integrity policy".
The New York Govenor, Andrew Cuomo, is deploying 1000 members of the New York National Guard to Washington, DC, "to aid and facilitate peaceful transfer of power," Cuomo said in a statement.
The siege has been almost universally condemned by lawmakers and officials.
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.
We are witnessing one of the darkest days in American history.
The President must immediately condemn the attempted coup at the U.S. Capitol and deploy the National Guard to keep Members of Congress safe and allow a peaceful transition of power.
"The President bears responsibility for today's events by promoting the unfounded conspiracy theories that have led to this point. It is past time to accept the will of American voters and to allow our nation to move forward," he said in a statement.
Former President George W Bush wrote in a statement that he was "watching the scenes of mayhem unfolding at the seat of our Nation's government in disbelief and dismay ... This is how election results are disputed in a banana republic – not our democratic republic."
Bush said the "insurrection" was sparked by "people whose passions have been inflamed by falsehoods and false hopes". He called on those who were disappointed by the results of the presidential election to put country over politics and let elected officials do their job.
