President Donald Trump early on Thursday committed to "an orderly transition" of power soon after Congress confirmed President-elect Joe Biden's election win, and following the storming of the Capitol by a mob of violent Trump supporters.
In a statement released by the White House, the president again made false claims about the outcome of the election. Twitter suspended Trump's account for 12 hours Wednesday after he continued to push conspiracy theories about the election after the chaos at the Capitol.
Overnight, Congress reconvened and counted the electoral votes Biden's victory. After some objections, the count of Biden's 306 votes to President Donald Trump's 232 was finished in proceedings that lasted until 3:40 a.m.
This live coverage has ended. Continue reading about the aftermath of the rioting at the Capitol.
Read the highlights:
-The woman shot in the Capitol amid violent breach of the complex has died.
-Biden condemns "insurrection."
-Jon Ossoff defeats David Perdue in Georgia, handing control of the Senate to Democrats, NBC News projects.
-Defying Trump, Pence says he won't overturn the 2020 election.
Pelosi says Electoral College vote count will continue tonight
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said lawmakers will resume counting the Electoral College vote later Wednesday after armed protesters stormed the Capitol building, disrupting the proceedings and forcing lawmakers to flee to secure locations.
"To that end, in consultation with Leader Hoyer and Whip Clyburn and after calls to the Pentagon, the Justice Department and the Vice President, we have decided we should proceed tonight at the Capitol once it is cleared for use," Pelosi wrote in a letter to House members.
The lawmakers will return for a joint session, so members of both the House and Senate will join. It's unclear what time lawmakers will reconvene.
"We always knew this responsibility would take us into the night," Pelosi continued. "The night may still be long but we are hopeful for a shorter agenda, but our purpose will be accomplished."
Former Congressional Black Caucus chairwoman sees danger, disparity and need for arrests in day's events
Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., was in the House gallery when protesters began to enter the building.
Bass, who was chair of the Congressional Black Caucus in 2019 and 2020, had anticipated that Wednesday would be difficult, but nothing like this. Many of Washington's streets were closed. And Bass, like many other Black people in Washington she knows, had resolved to avoid walking anywhere. To Bass, a crowd insisting that President Donald Trump remain in office and that the results of the election should not be certified represented a possible threat to her safety.
"Myself, as an African American, I know who this crowd is. We as a group know who this crowd is," Bass said of the people who breached the Capitol, broke windows, removed fixtures and snapped photos of themselves in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office, forcing members of Congress to evacuate. "Some of them have Trump flags. They could have Klan flags."
However, when the Capitol building was breached, Bass began to wonder how.
"I mean, can you imagine if this was Black Lives Matter? Can you for one moment imagine what would happen?" Bass said, echoing a set of ideas swirling on social media. "This entire episode, it needs to be investigated," she added. "You can't get into this building with a backpack, much less a flagpole. I think we need to know if they were helped or somehow allowed in."
Bass said she believes most of the rioters have been caught on video and should be prosecuted. When asked about Trump's part in the day's events, Bass said that the last time she checked, "inciting a riot" is a crime.
"I know some of my colleagues are calling for the 25th Amendment or this, that or the other," Bass said. "I don't know. I mean, for the 25th Amendment, you have to have the Cabinet to go along with it. And the Cabinet, this Cabinet, are cult followers, too. ... This president has really embarrassed us in front of the entire world. I just count the days and the hours until we can get to Jan. 20."
Bush appalled at 'reckless behavior' of some political leaders
Former President George W. Bush condemned the "mayhem" at the Capitol in a searing statement Wednesday, criticizing the actions of both those who mobbed the federal building and political leaders.
Those who attacked the Capitol were "inflamed by falsehoods," Bush said. He implored Trump's supporters upset with the election results to rise above politics and allow elected officials to do their jobs in a preservation of American democracy.
"This is how election results are disputed in a banana republic — not our democratic republic," Bush said. "I am appalled by the reckless behavior of some political leaders since the election and by the lack of respect shown today for our institutions, our traditions, and our law enforcement."
Trump celebrates Capitol rioting: 'Go home with love'
President Donald Trump celebrated the mob that stormed and rioted inside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday in a tweet that claimed that the events were justified.
"These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots who have been badly & unfairly treated for so long," Trump said in a tweet.
This is false; there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud. The violent chaos at the Capitol has left one woman dead, and the FBI confirmed that two explosive devices were detonated by law enforcement officials.
Trump characterized the event as something celebratory: "Go home with love & in peace. Remember this day forever!" he wrote.
Texas Republican Party removes officer who cheered on mob
The Texas Republican Party said Wednesday it had removed one of its party officers, Walter West, who had posted on social media celebrating a mob’s takeover of the U.S. Capitol.
“Whereas we vigorously support the First Amendment right to freely assemble, we condemn violence and pray for all gathering in our nation’s capital and those at the Capitol Building,” the party said in an unsigned statement. “The Texas GOP has always been on the side of law and order and will remain so.”
West had been the state party’s sergeant at arms, one of 12 officer positions with the party. His primary duty had been to maintain order during executive committee meetings.
In posts on Facebook, West endorsed Wednesday’s takeover in Washington, D.C., by supporters of President Donald Trump, writing, “Deal with them taking back OUR HOUSE!” He did not respond to an email requesting comment.
Fraternal Order of Police calls on Trump to 'forcefully urge' supporters to disperse
The National Fraternal Order of Police is calling on President Donald Trump to tell his supporters to disperse after a mob stormed the U.S. Capitol.
"The images coming in from the United State Capitol Building today are heartbreaking to every American. Lawlessness is not how Americans affect change in our great country," the police union's president, Patrick Yoes, said in a statement.
"We also call on President Trump to forcefully urge these demonstrators to stop their unlawful activity, to stand down, and to disperse," he said.
Trump did tell the demonstrators "you have to go home now" in a video message, but he also repeated his baseless and false claims that the election was stolen.
Woman shot inside Capitol has died
A woman who was shot inside the Capitol has died, several law enforcement officials confirmed to NBC News ob Wednesday.
Police earlier had confirmed that one person was shot inside the U.S. Capitol building, but officials did not know details about the circumstances. Several other people, including a police officer, were injured and taken to a hospital after a mob overtook the Capitol.
Authorities have not identified the woman who died. A woman covered in blood was seen on video being treated for an unknown injury as paramedics moved her on a stretcher out of the building.
Photo: Lawmakers taking cover as mob storms Capitol
Flash grenades, tear gas deployed on exterior Capitol balcony
Jan. 6, 202103:50Sen. Klobuchar to senators at undisclosed secure location: This is the safest place
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., ranking member of the Rules and Administration Committee, told senators waiting at an undisclosed secure location that police are still clearing the U.S. Capitol and that where they are being held is the safest place to be, according to a source familiar with the discussions in the room.
Former Trump White House spokeswoman says 'the Election was NOT stolen. We lost'
Former White House Communications Director Alyssa Farah tweeted a message to Trump supporters Wednesday after a mob stormed the U.S. Capitol, saying, "I need you to hear me: the Election was NOT stolen. We lost."
Farah, who resigned in December, also tweeted, "There were cases of fraud that should be investigated. But the legitimate margins of victory for Biden are far too wide to change the outcome. You need to know that."
The chaos at the Capitol occurred after a pro-Trump rally was held while Congress convened to officially count the Electoral College vote that President-elect Joe Biden won.