President Donald Trump hasn’t conceded, but he says there will be an orderly transition of power to President-elect Joe Biden on Jan. 20.
Very little about Wednesday was orderly as Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol while members of Congress were in joint session to finalize the electoral vote count.
The riot followed a speech where Trump told supporters they should never accept defeat, restating claims the election was stolen from him. It took four hours for the Capitol to be declared secure after the first security breach. In that time, one woman was shot to death and another three people died due to unspecified medical injuries. Congress was evacuated for several hours.
US Senator Jerry Moran, a Republican, called the turn of events “completely unacceptable and unpatriotic,” adding, “It’s a sad day for our nation and it is an unwelcome reminder that our democracy is fragile.” Fellow Republican and recently-sworn-in Senator Roger Marshall agreed.
Recently-sworn-in Second District Congressman Jake LaTurner, a fellow Republican, called the incident “reprehensible” and a betrayal of the First Amendment right to peacefully assemble. Representative Tracey Mann, another Republican who was also recently sworn in, simply said the “violence at the Capitol is unacceptable.”
Once the dust settled, the House and Senate rejected all challenges to the electoral vote, although the votes were decidedly closer in the House than in the Senate.
The fallout continued in other ways, with several Trump staffers resigning after the riot and some Cabinet members discussing whether Trump should be removed under provisions of the 25th Amendment.
