A beleaguered Congress finalized President-elect Joe Biden’s victory early Thursday morning, capping a day of riots that turned deadly and briefly ground the nation’s most powerful institutions to a standstill.
It was the last step in affirming Biden’s election ahead of the Jan. 20 inauguration, but one marred by violence fueled by the sitting president, Donald Trump, who urged his followers to march on the Capitol to pressure lawmakers to overturn the results.
What unfolded at the Capitol was the culmination of months of Trump’s exhortations to his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election based on baseless claims of fraud. Lawmakers tweeted urgently at the president to call off his supporters and described, in real time, the violence and destruction they were witnessing. Some immediately called Trump’s conduct impeachable, while others — Republicans and Democrats — described it as a “coup” attempt and an insurrection.
Source: Politico