Rioters storm U.S. Capitol as Trump supporters clash with police; 1 dead

10:53 p.m.

U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Naperville, says President Donald Trump should be removed from office.

8:20 p.m.

Former President Barack Obama says history will rightly remember the violence at the Capitol as a moment of great dishonor and shame for the nation.

Angry supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday in a chaotic protest aimed at thwarting a peaceful transfer of power.

Obama say the violence was “incited by a sitting president” who baselessly lied about the outcome of the presidential election. He has convinced his supporters that he lost the election to President-elect Joe Biden only because Democrats cheated, a false claim.

Obama says it should not have come as a surprise, and that for two months “a political party and its accompanying media ecosystem has too often been unwilling to tell their followers the truth.”

He says “their fantasy narrative has spiraled further and further from reality, and it builds upon years of sown resentments. Now we’re seeing the consequences, whipped up into a violent crescendo.”

7:55 p.m.

Multiple Republican senators have reversed course and now say they won’t object to congressional certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.

Their change of heart came after a violent mob stormed the U.S. Capitol earlier Wednesday and interrupted their proceedings. One person was fatally shot.

Sens. Steve Daines of Montana, Mike Braun of Indiana and Kelly Loeffler of Georgia all said in light of the violence they would stand down from planned objections to Biden’s win.

Lawmakers gathered to certify the Electoral College votes from each state were forced to evacuate after an angry mob of Trump supporters descended on the Capitol. Loeffler said that the “violence, the lawlessness, and siege of the halls of Congress” were a “direct attack” on the “sanctity of the American democratic process.”

All three had previously signed on to Trump’s false claims of widespread voter fraud to explain his defeat. Loeffler has just days left in her term. She lost her Senate race to Democrat Raphael Warnock earlier Wednesday.

7 p.m.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood of Naperville called Wednesday’s event in the nation’s capital a “deeply dark day for our country” in a statement issued Wednesday evening.

“Today’s insurrection was a result of more than just years of inflammatory rhetoric, but elected leaders capitalizing on hate and anti-democratic anger,” Underwood said. “There should be no historical sanctuary for those who ignited this fire.”

Calling the U.S. Capitol the “global symbol of our republic,” Underwood said the riots Wednesday were an attempt by terrorists to overthrow the country’s democracy, and the “so-called patriotism” was “infuriating, heartbreaking and un-American.”

She echoed fellow Democrat and U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s pledge to continue to certify the electoral college votes as soon as the building was deemed safe to re-enter Wednesday night.

Underwood’s comments come days after her former challenger, Republican Jim Oberweis of Sugar Grove, announced he’d formally asked the U.S. House to void the election results in the 14th District race and either conduct a recount by hand or hold a special election April 6. Underwood dismissed the remarks.

6:30 p.m.

U.S. Rep. Sean Casten, D-Downers Grove, called the breach at the U.S. Capitol Wednesday an act of domestic terrorism and an attempted coup.

“My great fear is that we have also avoided confronting the reality that that is what is happening,” Casten said. “That’s what happened at the house today and it was incited by the president.”

Casten was planning to head to the house floor shortly before pro-Donald-Trump protestors stormed the capitol building Wednesday. Because of COVID-19 social distancing guidelines, only 44 members were allowed on the floor at a time, he said.

“The way that we put all of this to an end very quickly is for Donald Trump to act like he’s the president of the United States,” Casten said, adding that he didn’t think Trump had the “emotional maturity” to ensure a peaceful transfer of power.

In the wake of Wednesday’s attack, Casten felt both inspired and disappointed, he said.

“It’s this mix of being both totally inspired by Americans and completely disappointed in people – who have the unbelievable privilege to have the office that I share – who somehow think that it is more important for the person who they want to hold power to hold power than to uphold the oath that we take to uphold the Constitution,” Casten said.

Tension in the Washington D.C. area appeared to be growing in the past 48 hours, Casten said.

“You could feel it in the air,” he said. Casten condemned the acts at the capitol Wednesday, but said they were carried out by a “scared” minority that was emboldened by leaders including Trump and U.S. Rep. Ted Cruz.

“It scares them to death that we might actually live in a country that reflects the will of the American people,” Casten said.

The congressman encouraged McHenry County residents to broaden their social circles, noting that intolerance may be heightened during this time of social isolation.

“I think that if folks in Crystal Lake are going to take anything out of this it’s: don’t compromise public health, but be self-aware enough to recognize that whatever good intentions you have –if you’re not regularly bumping into people who are different than you, there are blinders that go up.”

5:55 p.m.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says Congress will resume the Electoral College proceedings once the Capitol is cleared of pro-Donald Trump protesters and safe for use.

Pelosi said she made the decision Wednesday in consultation with the Pentagon, the Justice Department and the vice president, who will preside.

She noted the day would always be “part of history,” but now it would be “as such a shameful picture of our country was put out into the world.”

Trump had encouraged his supporters to come to Washington to fight Congress’ formal approval of President-elect Joe Biden’s win. He held a rally earlier Wednesday and urged his supporters to march to the Capitol, telling them to “get rid of the weak Congress people” and saying, “get the weak ones get out; this is the time for strength.”

Trump supporters breached the Capitol building and clashed with law enforcement before disrupting Congress’ tallying of the Electoral College votes. Trump has repeatedly told his supporters that the November election was stolen from him, even though that is not true.

5:31 p.m.

Gov. JB Pritzker is calling for President Donald Trump’s impeachment and removal.

5:10 p.m.

A woman who was shot inside the U.S. Capitol during the violent pro-Trump protest has died.

That’s according to two officials familiar with the matter who spoke to The Associated Press on Wednesday on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly.

The Metropolitan Police Department said it was taking the lead on the shooting investigation. Police did not immediately provide details about the circumstances of the shooting.

Dozens of supporters of President Donald Trump breached the security perimeter and entered the Capitol as Congress was meeting, expected to vote and affirm Joe Biden’s presidential win. They were seen fighting with officers both inside the building and outside.

Hours later, police had declared the Capitol was secured.

5:04 p.m.

Reaction on social media continued as U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Channahon, responded quickly to a tweet from President Donald Trump.

4:53 p.m.

U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Rock Island, and Rep. Bill Foster, D-Naperville, say Congress will not be deterred by Wednesday’s actions.

4:18 p.m.

A press conference with Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth started later than anticipated Wednesday afternoon as Duckworth and her colleagues were moved to a new, more secure location in the Capitol Building, she said.

“I cannot believe this is happening in the U.S. government,” Duckworth said once she was able to join the call, her voice barely audible over the many others in the room.

“I would never have dreamed that Americans would storm our own nation’s capital to pursue the will of a man whose ego is so fragile that he cannot accept a defeat in the election,” she said.

She and her colleagues are determined to move ahead with confirming the Electoral College vote for President-Elect Joe Biden, Duckworth said. Despite the chaos, a staff member secured the official Electoral College ballots and the senators brought the ballots with them to their new location, she said.

“I will not be deterred from carrying out my constitutional duties by a mob, by a violent mob …” she said. “We want to certify the Electoral College results and we don’t intend on leaving until we do that.”

Not all Senators were on the Senate Floor at the start of Wednesday’s session due to COVID-19 social distancing guidelines and safety concerns, Duckworth said. She was on her way to the floor to speak just after 2:30 p.m. Eastern time when she was intercepted by police who led her to a secure location, she said.

While Duckworth expressed disappointment in some of her Republican colleagues who planned to vote against certifying the election results, she said that only President Trump is to blame for the violence that ensued.

“The responsibility for this lays at the feet of President Trump,” Duckworth said. “This is purely his responsibility.”

Duckworth said the people who stormed the Capitol Building are “not even protestors, they’re just a mob,” adding that she respects the right to peacefully protest.

“They’re making an announcement,” Duckworth said suddenly.

Shortly after 4:30 p.m. Eastern time, the distant sounds of an update from Capitol Police came through the Zoom call and Duckworth fell silent as she listened.

She relayed that police were in the process of clearing the capitol and finding any remaining unauthorized people within the building.

Duckworth could not say when the DC National Guard would be arriving at the Capitol Building to assist Capitol Police, but said she saw “uniformed military personnel” as she was being ushered through the building.

She called Trump’s minute-long statement released on the situation “shameful,” and criticized him for using a portion of that time to reiterate his claims that the election results were fraudulent. With that, Duckworth concluded the call.

WASHINGTON — 3:56 p.m.

U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Channahon, released this statement on Twitter.

“The storming of the Capitol was a coup attempt with the purpose of overturning the election of a newly elected president. The current president incited this coup, encouraged it, and did little to protect the Capitol and the Constitution. I stand to reject this chaos and condemn the president for allowing it to happen.”

Kinzinger said the president has encouraged conspiracy theories, threatened elected officials and bullied the entire Republican party in the past two months, and called on GOP leaders to denounce it.

“This authoritarian bullying is what the founders feared, it’s not what the GOP stands for, he is no longer the leader of our party. And our party must reject these treasonous acts if we are ever to win back the trust of the majority of this country.”

3:47 p.m.

At least one explosive device was found near the U.S. Capitol during occupation by President Donald Trump supporters. Law enforcement officials say it’s no longer a threat.

3:17 p.m.

President Donald Trump has issued a video on Twitter.

“I know your pain. I know you’re hurt. We had an election that was stolen from us. It was a landslide election, and everyone knows it, especially the other side. But you have to go home. We have to have peace.”

Twitter has tagged any share with the video, warning it contains claims of election fraud that are disputed and stated the tweet can’t be replied to, retweeted or liked due to a risk of violence.

Moments earlier, President-elect Joe Biden had challenged Trump to go on television and demand an end to the siege of the U.S. Capitol.

Almost instantly after Trump posted the video to Twitter, U.S. Rep Adam Kinzinger, R-Channahon, tweeted by sharing the video and responding: “Cowardice.” In an interview with CNN about an hour earlier, Kinzinger said Trump needs to admit he lost the election and stop spreading conspiracy theories.

3:15 p.m.

President-elect Joe Biden addressed the American people, concluding with a statement: “President Donald Trump, step up.”

He called on Trump to go on television and demand an end to the siege of the U.S. Capitol.

Biden said the scenes of chaos from the Capitol don’t reflect the majority of American people.

“This is a small number of extremists dedicated to lawlessness,” Biden said. “This is not dissent. This is chaos. It must end. Now.”

Trump tweeted those who have stormed the Capitol should remain peaceful and respect authorities, but he did not call on them to leave.

3:08 p.m.

Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Rock Island, said she is safe, along with other House members.

2:45 p.m

One person has been shot at the U.S. Capitol as dozens of supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the building and clashed with police.

That’s according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke to The Associated Press on Wednesday on condition of anonymity amid a chaotic situation.

The exact circumstances surrounding the shooting were unclear. The person said the victim had been taken to a hospital. Their condition was not known.

The shooting came as dozens of Trump supporters breached security perimeters and entered the U.S. Capitol as Congress was meeting, expected to vote and affirm Joe Biden’s presidential win. Trump has riled up his supporters by falsely claiming widespread voter fraud to explain his loss.

Twenty-five minutes after first tweeting about the scene, Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth (D) retweeted a photo taken inside the Capitol and added: “As Donald Trump continues to lie about attacks on our democracy and fan the flames of debunked conspiracy theories, his supporters carrying Confederate flags are literally breaking into the U.S. Capitol to prevent elected representatives from casting their votes.”

Duckworth also did a phone interview with MSNBC, where she said she and her colleagues will not allow this to stop them from ultimately certifying the 2020 election’s results.

“I will not yield to these protesters who are attempting a coup,” she said.

Duckworth told NBC News that she’s in a secure location, led there by Capitol Police.

“…Never in my wildest dreams … did I ever think Americans would do this to our own nation’s Capitol.”

Duckworth said she has not heard from the Republican leader’s office, but the Democratic leadership has been in contact with members to confirm their locations.

“In my entire adult life I’ve defended people’s right to protest but this is a mob, this is a riot, these are people who are not practicing democracy.”

She announced she’d have a press conference at 3:15.

U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood (R), typically a Trump supporter, tweeted a condemnation of what he termed “rioting,” saying, “there is a stark difference between protesting and rioting. Lawlessness is never an acceptable answer. This must end now.” He went on to thank law enforcement “for working to keep people safe.”

2 p.m.

Both U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R) and Duckworth have characterized protesters backing President Donald Trump who have breached the U.S. Capitol, forcing a delay in the constitutional process to affirm Joe Biden’s victory in the November election, as attempting a “coup” or “overthrow.”

“I have for weeks warned that there was going to be violence on Jan. 6,” Kinzinger told CNN about 2 p.m. Central time Wednesday. “You give people false hope. You have leaders that ... do not have the courage to tell people the truth, which is that Congress cannot just come in and on its own whim, make a happy wish of who’s president.”

Kinzinger, who said he is OK but declined to provide his specific location, said every single Republican leader needs to “call this out forcefully and be held accountable.”

“Anywhere else around the globe we would call this a coup attempt.”

—  U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Channahon

“Anywhere else around the globe we would call this a coup attempt,” Kinzinger said in the CNN interview. “That’s what I think it is. But have no fear. The guardrails of democracy and the Constitution will hold.”

Trump urged his supporters to come to Washington to protest Congress’ formal approval of Biden’s win. Several Republican lawmakers have backed his calls, despite there being no evidence of fraud or wrongdoing in the election.

He has called on protestors to keep their protest peaceful.

In his interview on CNN, Kinzinger said that is not enough from the president, calling it “cowardice.”

That’s cowardice. Cowardice is trying to just say we want you to be peaceful, he needs to stand up and say ‘I lost the election, let the count go ahead. The conspiracies I’ve been spewing out are false,’ Kinzinger told CNN. “This is not 1776. The Pentagon needs to do everything that’s requested in terms of the deployment of the National Guard to restore order to the people’s House. That is what makes us different than so many failed countries around the globe.”

Protesters are now inside the Senate chamber. One got up on the dais and yelled “Trump won that election.”

Several dozen are roaming through the halls, yelling, “Where are they?”

Some were also in the visitors’ galleries.

At 2:08, Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth (D) tweeted, calling it “an attempted, violent overthrow in our nation’s own Capitol.” She added, “I will not yield to those who seek to harm our democracy.”

1:50 p.m.

Members of Congress inside the House chamber were told by police to put on gas masks after tear gas was dispersed in the Capitol Rotunda amid skirmishes by supporters of President Donald Trump

Pro-Trump protestors breached the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday afternoon, violently clashing with law enforcement as lawmakers were gathered inside to formalize President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in November’s presidential election.

Law enforcement instructed lawmakers to retrieve masks from under their seats amid the clashes. The Capitol building was placed on lockdown, as Trump supporters marched through evacuated public spaces in the building.

After egging on protests, Trump tweeted to his supporters to “stay peaceful” as they violently clash with law enforcement and breached the Capitol building.

1:47 p.m.

After egging on protests, President Donald Trump tweeted to his supporters to “stay peaceful” as they violently clash with law enforcement and breached the Capitol building.

“Please support our Capitol Police and Law Enforcement,” Trump tweeted, as tear gas was deployed in the locked-down Capitol. “They are truly on the side of our Country. Stay peaceful!”

Trump at a rally earlier Wednesday encouraged his supporters to head to the Capitol.

“We’re going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women, and we’re probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them,” Trump said.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker weighed in.

___

1:45 p.m.

Lawmakers are being evacuated from the U.S. Capitol after protesters breached security and entered the building.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other senators were led out, escorted by staff and police on Wednesday afternoon. Members of the House were also being evacuated. Both chambers had been debating the certification of Joe Biden’s victory in the Electoral College.

The skirmishes came shortly after President Donald Trump addressed thousands of his supporters, riling up the crowd with his baseless claims of election fraud.

Protesters could be seen marching through the Capitol’s stately Statuary Hall shouting and waving Trump banners and American flags.

Some House lawmakers tweeted they were sheltering in place in their offices.