ChinTrump Protesters Occupy Capitol... Certification of Biden's Election Halted (Update)

Shock to US Government and Society
National Guard Prepares for Deployment in Unprecedented Crisis
Biden: "Acts of Rebellion... Trump Must Call for Halt"
Trump Belatedly: "Election Fraud but Go Home"

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] An unprecedented storming and occupation of the U.S. Congress took place. The congressional certification process for President-elect Joe Biden was also halted.

President-elect Joe Biden described the event not as a protest but as an insurrection and insisted that President Donald Trump appear on TV to call for an end to the protests. Although President Trump belatedly told the protesters to go home, he did not stop claiming election fraud.

The White House and the Virginia state government announced the deployment of the National Guard and police, but the protesters showed no signs of dispersing, raising concerns about clashes after dark.

At around 1 p.m. local time on the 6th, as the joint session of the House and Senate to certify Biden's victory began, unusual movements by Trump supporters were detected.

Before the meeting started, President Trump attended an outdoor rally in front of the White House, demanding that Vice President Pence overturn the election results and urging his supporters to take action while claiming election fraud.

However, Vice President Pence rejected this in a statement and began presiding over the session. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell also blocked President Trump's hopes, saying, "If you reject the will of the voters, the courts, and the state governments, you will drive democracy into a death spiral."

At that moment, Trump supporters moved. They marched through the streets toward the Capitol, broke through barricades and police lines, and entered the Capitol building.

As the protesters entered the Capitol, the session was suspended. Vice President Pence immediately evacuated. Lawmakers who could not evacuate locked the doors of the chamber and confronted the protesters. Capitol police faced off against protesters attempting to enter with firearms at the doors. During this process, a woman was shot and urgently transported to the hospital. Police also suffered casualties.

The protesters ransacked the office of Nancy Pelosi, the House Speaker and a political opponent of President Trump, leaving a note that read, "We will never concede."

Regarding this incident, Representative Jimmy Gomez expressed concern, saying, "Angry mobs are trying to attack the capital, and Republican lawmakers are trying to overturn the election."

Deployment of the National Guard was also decided to suppress the situation. Virginia, which borders Washington D.C., agreed to deploy the National Guard and police at the request of Congress. The White House also announced that the Trump National Guard had been dispatched.

President-elect Biden pressured President Trump to step up to resolve the situation. Biden strongly condemned the event as "not a protest but an insurrection" and demanded, "President Trump should appear on television himself and call for an end to the Capitol siege."

After the certification session was interrupted by the storming of his supporters, President Trump tweeted, "Vice President Pence did not have the courage to protect our country and our Constitution. America demands the truth," but he did not call for an end to the protests, only emphasizing "We must be safe."

After the situation worsened, at the moment President-elect Biden issued a statement, President Trump released a pre-recorded video message on Twitter, saying, "I know your pain. The election was stolen. But now it is time to go home peacefully."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.