January 6 will go down as one of the most chaotic days in the history of the United States. As lawmakers attempted to certify the results of the election, rioters stormed the United States Capitol. Mobs of people broke through windows, stormed into offices and overran the House floor. One day after the incident, Americans are attempting to make sense of all that happened. Here is a brief breakdown of what happened.
10 a.m. | President Donald Trump hosts the "Save America" Rally
The morning began with the "Save America" rally in Washington, D.C. During the two-hour event, attendees heard remarks from Donald Trump Jr., Rudy Giuliani and Eric Trump. President Donald Trump ended the event with a short speech. Towards the end of his remarks, Trump said, “And after this, we're going to walk down there, and I'll be there with you, we're going to walk down ... to the Capitol."
1 p.m. | Lawmakers Begin Counting Electoral College Votes
Three hours after President Donald Trump promised to head down to the Capitol, lawmakers gathered for a joined session led by Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Members of Congress expected objections to results in Pennsylvania and Arizona, but few expected the push to decertify the electoral college vote to be successful. Just fifteen minutes into their joint session, things began to go awry.
1:15 p.m. | Rioters Clash With Police Near The Capitol
Just fifteen minutes into the congressional joint session, rioters began to clash with police yards away from the front door of the Capitol. Police watched on before confrontations began to escalate. Ultimately, things continued to get worse.
1:30 p.m. | Federal Buildings Evacuated
As the situation outside of the Capitol continued to escalate, Capitol Police began evacuating federal buildings. The Library of Congress, Madison Building and Cannon House Office Building were all evacuated.
1:40 p.m. | Citywide Curfew Issued, Pipebombs Discovered
Swiftly responding to the riots on Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser issued a 6 p.m. citywide curfew for nonessential employees. Moments later, reports began to surface about a pipebomb being received detonated the Republican National Committee's headquarters.
2:10 p.m. | Rioters Breach Police Lines
Rioters quickly made their way past police lines and charged toward the Capitol building. Within 45 minutes, photos surfaced of mobs breaking windows, police opening doors for rioters and much more.
2:20 p.m. | Vice President Mike Pence Reportedly Removed From The Capitol
With rioters being let in, Vice President Mike Pence was reportedly moved out of the Capitol building and moved to an unidentified location. Shortly thereafter, President Donald Trump tweeted a message criticizing his former running mate.
2:45 p.m. | Shots Reportedly Fired
***The video below contains violently graphic material***
As rioters neared the House Chamber, things turned violent. With security attempting to protect members of Congress, shots were fired and a woman was hit in the chest. Ultimately, four people were killed during yesterday's events.
4 p.m. | Additional Police Units And National Guard Troops Arrive, Congress Relocated
After hours of chaos, more than 1,000 National Guard officers and police units were deployed across the nation's capital to gain control of the situation. Not long afterward, President Donald Trump issued a video message claiming that the election was stolen when it was not.
8 p.m. | Congress Reconvenes
After an eventful day in Washington, D.C., congress reconvened to certify the results of the most recent presidential election. Going into the wee hours of the morning, Joe Biden was named President-Elect. He will be inaugurated later this month alongside Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris.
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