The insurgency breached the Capitol.
The insurgency breached the Capitol. DREW ANGERER / GETTY IMAGES

Well then, today went sideways, didn't it? Your regular Slog PM has been replaced by another live blog, due to Trump inspiring his fascist followers to stage a failed Capitol coup. Some of the big updates:

  • Hundreds of MAGA rioters stormed the Capitol building, forcing the House and Senate to suspend election certification activities and go into lockdown.
  • Several lawmakers were trapped in the Capitol's galleries, including Seattle Rep. Pramila Jayapal who said she was "terrified for our democracy the whole time." Rich Smith has the details below.
  • In Olympia, Trump goons breached the gates of Gov. Jay Inslee's mansion.
  • Jon Ossoff won his Senate race against Republican incumbent Sen. David Perdue, ensuring Democratic control of the Senate.
  • One woman shot in the Capitol building died, while at least 13 people were arrested and five guns confiscated.
  • Three of Trump's tweets stoking the mayhem at the Capitol building were taken down by Twitter. The social media site then locked him out of his account for 12 hours, saying his tweets violated their Civil Integrity policy. Facebook did something similar.
  • At 8 pm EST, lawmakers reconvened in a joint session of Congress to confirm the 2020 election results.

    We have to turn this live blog off for the evening since the staff needs a break. (Help us!) But we'll be back online in the morning with more updates. Make sure to follow the various live blogs as the Senate works to confirm the Biden-Harris victory. Soldier on, Sloggers.

    If you're looking for reliable people to follow on Twitter right now, The Stranger's Matt Baume started a list.

  • LAWMAKERS FINALLY RETURN TO A JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS TO CONFIRM JOE BIDEN'S WIN
    5:00 PM

    Sen. Mitch McConnell is expected to take the floor momentarily. Let's see if the objections to the election's certification still stand:

    PENCE IS BACK IN THE CHAMBER, MELANIA'S CHIEF OF STAFF DIPS
    4:45 PM

    I bet you Vice President Mike Pence has wet his pants thrice during the past several hours hiding out in the Capitol building. In any case, noted cretin Pence made his way back to the Senate chamber after being evacuated during the MAGA mob earlier today. The Guardian notes that Pence seems to have taken over the duties traditionally carried out by the president. No way is Trump going anywhere near the Capitol tonight.

    In other news, Stephanie Grisham, former White House communications director and press secretary and current chief of staff of the First Lady, submitted her resignation this afternoon effective immediately. Grisham was well-known within the Trump administration and one his longest serving officials. CNN says that many White House aides are disgusted by the president's behavior and believe they can no longer work for him. Grisham's departure could be the first of many resignations in the coming days.

    TWITTER LOCKS @REALDONALDTRUMP'S ACCOUNT
    4:15 PM

    What took them so fucking long?

    A MAGA MOB CAN'T STOP DEMOCRACY FROM DEMOCRACY-ING
    4 PM

    In a letter to her colleagues, House speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that leaders of Congress have decided to continue the joint session to certify President-elect Joe Biden's win once it's safe to do so, reports CNN. “Today, a shameful assault was made on our democracy. It was anointed at the highest level of government. It cannot, however, deter us from our responsibility to validate the election of Joe Biden,” she wrote.

    Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer told reporters that he expects the joint session of Congress will resume around 8 p.m. EST, 5 p.m. PST. Only two states' electoral votes were counted before the mob of MAGA 4 Lyfers stormed the Capitol. Depending on whether or not those Republican congressional fucks decide to proceed with their ungrounded objections, the session could continue late into the night.

    TRUMP GOONS BREACH GATES OF WA GOVERNOR'S MANSION
    3:30 PM

    I guess the word of the WA GOP chair doesn't go as far as it used to! Shauna Sowersby reports that a group of Trump supporters breached the gates at around 3 p.m. It's unclear how many cops were guarding the gate, but I'll check the streams and update when I confirm. Video from Sowersby show Trumpians on the lawn and on the patio attempting to enter as a couple cops guard the front door. Chase has a good question:

    The Washington State Patrol tweeted that "the Governor and his family are in a safe location."

    DONALD SPEAKS AGAIN
    3:10 PM

    In a tweet, President Trump defends the actions of his supporters at the Capitol today. "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," he wrote, asking everyone to go home "with love & in peace." Fuck this guy—why is he still allowed on this platform? The tweet was removed.

    1 DEAD, AT LEAST 13 ARRESTED, AND 5 GUNS SEIZED DURING THE CAPITOL BUILDING RIOT
    3 PM

    One woman shot by police inside the Capitol building has died, reports the Washington Post and confirmed by a D.C. police spokesperson. A graphic video posted to Twitter shows a crowd of rioters inside the building, then a gunshot, then the woman draped in a Trump banner being lowered to the ground, her mouth covered in blood. She was later seen loaded into an ambulance.

    The New York Times also reports that D.C. Metropolitan Police have seized five guns and arrested at least 13 people during the riots at the Capitol. In a news conference, D.C. Police Chief Robert J. Contee says the firearms included handguns and long guns and that none of the people arrested were D.C. residents. At the same conference, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser pledged that "anyone who has engaged in these activities" will be held accountable, says the Times.

    JAYAPAL WAS TRAPPED IN THE GALLERY: "I WAS TERRIFIED FOR OUR DEMOCRACY THE WHOLE TIME"
    3:00 PM

    On a conference call from an undisclosed location in the Capitol building, Seattle Rep. Pramila Jayapal said she and most of her colleagues remain resolved to execute the will of the people by certifying the results of the 2020 Presidential election despite the attempted coup from Very Online Trumpists, and despite attempts from Congressional Republicans to stymie what used to be a largely symbolic procedure.

    Jayapal, who has been using a cane to walk down stairs due to recent knee surgery, described her experience on this "very difficult day for our country." She was one among "a dozen" lawmakers in the upper gallery of the House chambers when the floor debate on the certification was taking place. Jayapal and her crew knew something was up after Capitol Police entered the chamber and removed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Majority leader Steny Hoyer.

    When the insurrectionists breached the Capitol and entered Statuary Hall, Jayapal said the police started removing more members on the floor, but they couldn't get to her and her colleagues in the gallery, so they got stuck up there.

    She said she heard gunshots "that appeared to be potentially people shooting toward the chamber," and saw officers with their guns drawn and pointed out the chamber doors. She said the cops told her and the group to ready their gas masks, but there was no tear gas fired into the chamber so far as she could tell. She also heard reports that a protester had been shot and killed, though she couldn't confirm.

    I haven't read those reports on the shooting, but there's this:

    As the Congress members waited for the cops to deal with the mob, she joined Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester in prayer. She said she prayed "to whoever was listening that there would peace, that there would be no violence, that no one would be hurt."

    Eventually the cops cleared them to exit the chambers and head to the safe location.

    In the face of an attempted coup and the sycophantic bit of durational political theater produced by influential members of the Republican party, Jayapal promised "not to let people who are seeking to overturn the election stop us from certifying the election."

    "We will prevail. Our democracy is strong. It is resilient. Our job is to make sure we uphold the Constitution and our democracy, and we will do it," she said.

    She demanded her Republican colleagues stop messing around with their challenges to the certification process. "They made their little protest. Let's just finish this and certify this. This is dangerous and we should get on with our business," she said.

    She blamed the President for "essentially encouraging this behavior," but stopped short of calling for another impeachment. "Look, if I had my way, we would impeach him again right now," Jayapal said. "But that makes no sense. It won't happen with the Republicans. I don't think they would do it now. So I think we will have to find ways—and we are working on that—to hold him accountable. If we don't, then think of what that says to any other President."

    LEGISLATORS PUSH TO CONTINUE COUNTING ELECTORS
    2:45 PM

    As the 6 pm curfew is set to begin in D.C., the Capitol is far from being cleared of the Trump supporters, although the Sergeant at Arms just announced that the Capitol building is now secured. Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois told CBS that a "quick-thinking" Senate aide seized copies of Electoral College certificates to ensure that lawmakers could return to the process once given the all-clear. Duckworth went on to say that Democratic senators are pushing to reconvene tonight to continue their work certifying the election results. Other Congress members have been tweeting from safety that they intend to get back to it as well. This will be a long night.

    BIDEN AND TRUMP GIVE SPEECHES ABOUT THE INSANITY DOWN AT THE CAPITOL
    1:40 PM

    Taking the tone of a teacher speaking to a class who behaved poorly with a sub, President-elect Joe Biden gave remarks from Wilmington, Delaware about the chaos at the Capitol. He demanded that Trump go on national television to call for an end to the siege of Trump supporters interrupting the democratic process. "This is not dissent, it's disorder. It's chaos, it borders on sedition, and it must end now," said Biden. He then called on the "mob" to go home and for Trump to "step up." As he exited the stage, Biden told reporters, "Enough is enough is enough."

    While it's not national television, Trump has released a prerecorded video statement. And, yes, it's batshit. In the just-over-a-minute-long video addressing his supporters directly (are they checking their phones?), Trump acknowledged the "pain" of a "stolen" "landslide" election but that it's "time to go home now." "There's never been a time like this where such a thing happened, where they could take it away from all of us. From me, from you, from our country." He falsely reiterated that this was a "fraudulent election," but that "we" can't play into the hands of "these people." Trump ended the video with a call to "go home and go home in peace." Not exactly a resounding plea to go home.

    OK THIS IS A LITTLE OFF TOPIC, BUT IMPORTANT
    1:20

    NBC News, ABC News, and AP have called the regular Senate election in Georgia for our favorite straight twink, Jon Ossoff. He has cleared the 0.5% threshold, ensuring that Republican opponent Sen. David Perdue canNOT request a recount. Suck on THAT. The Democrats now have control of the Senate, the House, and the White House. They better do fucking SOMETHING about everything that's going on today.

    CONGRESS RESPONDS
    1:15 PM

    Soon-to-be Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi are asking the President to demand all of his supporters leave the Capitol and Capitol grounds immediately. That call is echoed by other senators; Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy asked the President to "appear on TV, condemn the violence and tell people to disband."

    As for our representatives from the other Washington:

    Newly elected Democratic Rep. Marylin Strickland did not mince words about the insurrection at the Capitol building:

    Seattle Rep. Pramila Jayapal is safe and doing some fine reporting on the ground:

    Democratic Rep. Adam Smith's spokesperson said staff are safe and working from home, and that Rep. Smith is safe as well. Smith just tweeted as much and said, "This attempted coup and domestic terrorist attack needs to end immediately."

    Democratic Rep. Kim Schrier (and her staff) is safe, and Schrier's staff said she is sheltering in place. In a tweet she thanked all for asking about her safety. "I am safe. I am VERY worried about the state of our country, and flabbergasted that our president has not put a stop to this. I am also worried about the health and safety of the Capitol Police, and thank them for their service."

    In a tweet, Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers said: "Stop these attacks on Capitol Police who serve to protect the People's House. Protesting peacefully is your right. Violence, aggression, and breaching security perimeters are not. Stop this now."

    King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay said in a tweet: “The way they’re treating capitol police right now shows us it was never about “blue lives” “Blue lives” only matter to them if advancing white supremacy and helping them maintain power.”

    Washington state GOP chair Caleb Heimlich is somehow shocked that Trump supporters would go this far.

    Republican Rep. Dan Newhouse, who said he wouldn’t side with the insane Republican Senators trying to overturn the election, said in a tweet, “I wholeheartedly condemn this violence. This is not who we are, and this needs to stop immediately.”

    Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, who watched the Seattle Police Department respond to Black Lives Matter protests with massive deployments of chemical weapons said in a statement, “We are seeing the dangerous and terrifying result of a president that has instigated division since the beginning of his presidency and refuses to relinquish his power. This is what happens when the President and his enablers urge armed rebellions and sow deep distrust in the election.... Seattle will continue monitoring the situation closely. After the election, Seattle was peaceful, and we know our shared values of peace will prevail. We will not tolerate any violence or destruction to our businesses and government.”

    THE NATIONAL GUARD IS ON ITS WAY
    1 PM

    The Army has announced that they will activate all 1,100 troops of the District of Columbia National Guard at DC Mayor Muriel Bowser's request. According to the New York Times, the troops are being sent to the DC Armory and will deploy to the Capitol and to other points around Washington. Chief Pentagon spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman said the response would be led by the Justice Department. More context from the Times:

    "Mr. Hoffman noted that the troops were deploying in 'support' of federal law enforcement in the district, reflecting Defense officials’ reluctance to deploy military troops at the Capitol. Defense officials want the authorities in Washington to use the local police and other law enforcement agencies to confront the protestors at the Capitol, with the National Guard troops in support, but not in the lead, to avoid the specter of a military battling election protests."

    TOTAL MAYHEM AT THE CAPITOL
    12:15 PM

    Police have guns drawn at the Capitol as people break into the House chambers. People in MAGA hats stormed the offices of lawmakers and keep taking photos. The mayor of D.C. issued a 6 p.m. curfew. Someone's on Trump's Twitter account is suddenly asking people to stay peaceful, after encouraging the opposite earlier this morning. Nancy Pelosi requested the National Guard to deal with the insurgency, seeing as the Capitol police failed.


    Meanwhile, in Seattle:

    "THEY BREACHED THE CAPITOL"
    12 PM

    I need 15 monitors to keep up. The House and Senate had hardly split to hear objections regarding baseless claims of voter fraud in Arizona—McConnell did get in a speech where he scolded Republicans and told them that "Democracy would enter a death spiral" if Cruz, Hawley, and the other freaks got their way—before Democracy entered a death spiral as Trump's terrorists stormed the Capitol.

    Both the House and Senate suspended their activities, and now we're here:

    Washington DC's former police chief Charles Ramsey just said this is "as close to a coup attempt that this country has ever seen."