Calls grow for Trump’s removal after Capitol riot: Live updates | CNN Politics (2024)

Elinore McCance-Katz, assistant secretary of Health and Human Services, speaks alongside President Donald Trump on September 4, 2019 in Washington, DC.

Elinore McCance-Katz, assistant secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services, resigned today in the wake of President Trump’s role and response to mob breaching the US Capitol.

“I have chosen to resign today as the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use,” McCance-Katz, assistant secretary for mental health and substance abuse for HHS, wrote in a letter dated today.

President Trump’s Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao also resigned today.

President Trump’s Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has submitted her resignation, making her the second Cabinet member to resign over Trump’s response to the mob breaching the US Capitol, according to an official.

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao also resigned this afternoon after taking “time to absorb” the insurrection on Capitol Hill and the President’s response to it.

“Today, there was a lot of soul-searching and discussion,” a senior administration official said. “It was obviously the right thing to do.”

Chao discussed the matter with her staff and her husband, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, before deciding by around 11 a.m. that she would resign.

A source close to Vice President Mike Pence said inquiries about invoking the 25th Amendment have been coming into Pence advisers and those discussions have been under way.

But the source said it is “highly unlikely” that Pence would pursue that path at this point, given that the effort is expected to be unsuccessful. And an administration official tells CNN that Pence himself has not discussed invoking the 25th Amendment with any Cabinet officials.

However, three senior administration officials also tell CNN that two Cabinet secretaries have called fellow members of the Cabinet to take their “temperatures” about demanding a Cabinet meeting with the President to confront him about his behavior.

The two Cabinet secretaries discussed the possibility of demanding the President deliver a public address committing to a peaceful transfer of power, which Trump did Thursday evening.

Hanging over the meeting would be the possibility that a majority of the Cabinet could invoke the 25th Amendment and strip Trump of his power as president.

Chiefs of staff of federal departments have also been calling each other to discuss the possibility.

Some of the secretaries are hesitant to agree to a meeting because of the risk an attempt to invoke the 25th Amendment would face, or that they would draw Trump’s ire.

Some officials were also concerned about the optics of holding a cabinet meeting amid national discussions about the 25th Amendment. “Why take the risk?” one senior official said.

On Thursday night, Trump released a pre-recorded video that said he would not serve a second term. It’s not known yet if that was enough assuage Cabinet members’ concerns and took the discussions of the table.

A White House adviser in discussions with senior officials said Trump only recorded the video released this evening because his presidency is currently threatened by looming resignations and potential impeachment.

“That message and tone should have been relayed election night…not after people died,” the adviser added.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks with CNN on Thursday.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called out President Trump for finally pledging an “orderly” transfer of power to President-elect Joe Biden on Jan. 20, saying “it’s about damn time.”

“Had he done this earlier, lives would have been saved,” Whitmer told CNN’s Erin Burnett, a day after rioters stormed the US Capitol building. “Had they invested themselves in a peaceful transition and started working with the incoming administration, lives would have been saved.”

What do we know: Rioters on Wednesday breached the Capitol building and the Senate chamber, ransacked the offices of Pelosi and other Capitol offices, and a laptop was stolen from the office of Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley. One woman was shot and killed by Capitol Police as the crowd breached the building and three others suffered medical emergencies that proved fatal.

“If he’d spent the energy that he has tried to use to sow doubt and violence and seeds of division toward addressing the pandemic, lives would have been saved,” Whitmer added. “I’m glad he’s come to that conclusion finally. However, we paid an incredibleprice as a nation for his inability to see the facts and understand them and accept them. This is where we are.”

Senate Chaplain Barry Black is urging Congress and the nation to heal and unite after Wednesday’s deadly riot at the US Capitol building.

Black prayed over Congress early Thursday morning to close the joint session following the formal affirmation of President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory.

He told CNN’s Anderson Cooper that people too often these days are running from the truth and instead “need to learn to illuminate with truth.”

“The power of life and death is in your words, and you will reap its harvest,” Black said Thursday on Anderson Cooper Full Circle, referencing Proverbs 18:21.

Black has served as Senate Chaplain since 2003.

Watch the full interview here.

Watch part of Senate Chaplain Barry Black’s interview:

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President Trump conceded publicly for the first time Thursday that he will not serve a second term, stopping short of congratulating President-elect Joe Biden but acknowledging a transfer of power is now underway.

Trump’s recognition of his loss comes two months after the fact and amid growing calls for either his removal from office or a fresh impeachment. It also came as legal questions swirled about his culpability for inciting rioters who invaded the US Capitol a day earlier.

In the video, released more than 24 hours after Wednesday’s riot, Trump made calls for “healing and reconciliation” and said the country must move forward.

But he also misstated his role in activating the National Guard to combat his supporters who stormed the Capitol, who only a day earlier he called “special.”

Earlier Thursday, Trump issued a dark-of-night statement vowing an “orderly transition,” which came about in part to stanch a wave of resignations from within the West Wing and the broader administration, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Read more here.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tried to reach out to Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday to urge him to consider invoking the 25th Amendment to force President Trump’s removal from office.

The Democrats issued a statement detailing their phone call attempt to Pence, whom they were unable to connect with.

Read their statement:

CIA director Gina Haspel arrives for a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on January 29, 2019 in Washington DC.

CIA director Gina Haspel is not currently expected to resign from her post in response to President Trump’s handling of Wednesday’s violence at the US Capitol, according to a source familiar with the situation, who told CNN there is no indication, at this time, that she intends to step down before President-elect Joe Biden is sworn into office, according to a source familiar with the situation.

Haspel’s relationship with Trump has deteriorated in recent months and CNN previously reported that she was on thin ice as the President has considered firing her during his final months in office. But the source told CNN that at this time, it is unlikely Haspel will resign, the source said.

While the situation involving Trump’s Cabinet continues to evolve after the resignation of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, the source told CNN that, for now, Haspel intends to stay in her role to help oversee the CIA’s ongoing operations and a smooth transition process. The CIA declined to comment on Haspel’s plans.

Some background: There have been calls for other Cabinet members to follow Chao’s lead amid bipartisan criticism of Trump’s response to the violence. But some of Trump’s top national security officials have received calls within the last 24 hours urging them not to resign following his widely panned response to the mob attack by his supporters on the US Capitol.

The message: it is important they stay on for the continuity of government in the national security realm.

Haspel has kept a relatively low profile since the election. Sources have consistently said Haspel prefers to remain as CIA director until Inauguration Day and step down on her own terms when the new administration takes over.

As of Thursday, it appears Trump’s Director of National Intelligence, John Ratcliffe, is also unlikely to resign.

At this stage, it remains unclear if Ratcliffe has been involved in any discussions about invoking the 25thAmendment but a source familiar with the issue, told CNN Trump’s intelligence chief is well aware that a growing list of Congressional lawmakers are calling on the Cabinet to take that step.

A Capitol Police officer is on life support Thursday night after a mob of President Donald Trump’s supporters stormed theUSCapitol a day before, according to Capitol Police union chair Gus Papathanasiou.

CNN reported Thursday evening, citing three sources, that the officer had died. One of CNN’s sources said that Capitol Police officers were gathered and told that the officer had passed away.

Papathanasiou told WUSA — a local Washington, DC, television news station— that the officer died. Later Thursday, the Capitol Police released a statement stating no officers had died as a result of Wednesday’s riot.

Papathanasiou retracted his statement to WUSA and told CNN the officer was still on life support.

“He had a stroke. I think he’s on life support. We’ve got some misinformation on that. He’s on life support from what I’m hearing,” Papathanasiou told CNN.

One woman was shot and killed by Capitol Police as the crowd breached the building and three others suffered medical emergencies that proved fatal.

Correction: This post has been updated to reflect that the officer is on life support.

President-elect Joe Biden speaks during an event at The Queen theater on January 7 in Wilmington, Delaware.

President-elect Joe Biden has no appetite for opening an impeachment proceeding against President Trump, people familiar with the matter say Thursday, as he prefers to keep his focus on taking office in 13 days.

Sources who told CNN earlier Thursday he had no intention of weighing in on the 25thAmendment talks, they said he feels the same about impeachment.

It’s unclear whether Biden will weigh in himself – he declined to answer questions today, but might Friday – but he has made his views known that he doesn’t favor impeachment.

“Impeachment would not help unify this country,” a person close to Biden said, who added that “this is a matter to be decided by the Congress.”

FormerRepublicanSecretary of State Colin Powell speaks with CNN on Thursday, January 7.

FormerRepublicanSecretary of State Colin Powell dismissed growing calls for invoking 25th Amendment or an impeachment of President Trump as a “distraction,” saying lawmakers should instead be focused on a successful transition.

“It really doesn’t excite me,” said the retired four-star general, when asked about removing Trump. “We’ve got about 13 days to go? Nothing will really happen in that 13-day period. Let’s let it play out.”

Powell suggested the danger Trump presents to the country would mitigate itself on Jan. 20, when President-elect Joe Biden assumes the presidency.

“I would not detour in different pieces of the Constitution we think would be helpful,” he told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer. “I just want him out… he’s going to be out.”

Despite his opposition to removing Trump by a constitutional mechanism, Powell still suggested he believes Trump is unfit to occupy the Oval Office.

“You can’t not have concerns about his mental fitness when you see the way he behaves, the way he acts and the things he does,” said Powell.

Watch the moment:

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Vice President Mike Pence presides over a joint session of Congress on January 6 in Washington, DC.

Vice President Mike Pence has not discussed invoking the 25th Amendment with any Cabinet officials, an administration official tells CNN.

House Speaker NancyPelosicalled for invoking the25th Amendment in a news conference today, and said that if that doesn’t happen, Congress may move to impeach President Trump.

Remember: Invoking the 25th Amendment would require Pence and a majority of the Cabinet to vote to remove Trump from office due to his inability to “discharge the powers and duties of his office.”

Any 25th Amendment push faces an unprecedented steep hill to come to fruition with little time left before Joe Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20. The calls in Congress, however, underscore the extent to which lawmakers are reeling and furious with the President in the wake of the devastation at the Capitol on Wednesday.

US CapitolPolice ChiefSteven Sundis resigning, according to a US Capitol Police official, after facing criticism over an apparent lack of preparedness to deal with Wednesday’s violent mob on Capitol Hill.

Sund’s resignation is effective Jan. 16, according to a Capitol Police official.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi today called for Sund’s resignation and said the House Sergeant at Arms has told her he is submitting his resignation as well.

Pelosi made her comments during her weekly news conference, and follows Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer saying he would fire the current Senate Sergeant-at-Arms when he becomes majority leader.

“If Senate Sergeant Arms [Michael] Stenger hasn’t vacated the position by then, I will fire him as soon as Democrats have a majority in the Senate,” Schumer said in a statement.

As some Trump supporters leave Washington, DC, after yesterday’s attack on the Capitol, the Federal Aviation Administration is warning fliers not to act up.

The warning comes after social media posts of pro-Trump passengers flying to Washington, DC, shouting down fellow passengers, flight attendants struggling to enforce mask rules, and other Trump supporters harassing GOP Sen. Mitt Romney in an airport terminal.

On Wednesday, the head of the largest association of flight attendants said that those who participated in the assault on the Capitol should be banned from commercial flights. CNN observed a ramped up police presence at Reagan National Airport, but the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority reports no arrests on Thursday at Reagan or Dulles.

President Trump has been asking aides and lawyers, including White House counsel Pat Cipollone, about his self-pardon power, multiple sources tell CNN.

Some of those conversations have happened in recent weeks, one of the sources said. It is unclear if it has come up since the mayhem at the Capitol building yesterday fomented by the President’s rhetoric or after his recent controversial call with the Georgia secretary of state. Trump has askedabout the legal and political consequences of a self-pardon, according to a source close to the President.

He has alsoasked for legal opinions on whether he has the authority to issue a self-pardon and has been advised on the potential political fallout.This person said it was not yet clear whether the President would follow through with a pardon for himself.

Another person said itis not in the works in the White House counsel’s office currently but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen or that the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel is not currently reviewing the matter.

CNN has previously reported Trump has been asking aides since 2017 about his self-pardon power and has been “obsessed” with the idea. Recently, Trump allies such as Sean Hannity on Fox have suggested publicly that he should. Trump has also tweeted that he believes he has the power to do so.

A presidential self-pardon is untested and experts are divided on its constitutionality. A Justice Department legal memo says the President cannot pardon himself but he can step down and ask his vice president to take over and pardon him. However, that memo is not binding.

DC National Guard guardsmen stand outside the Capitol on January 7 in Washington, DC.

As 6,200 members of the National Guard arrive in Washington, DC, Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy said they would be used in 12-hour shifts, with 850 of them on Capitol grounds at a time, while others work traffic control points throughout the city.

The National Guard members, which will arrive from Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and DC units, are deployed for a minimum of 30 days, and they are expected to fully arrive during the weekend.

They will help erect a 7-foot non-scalable fence around the Capitol grounds as well as help support security in the area, working with other agencies and law enforcement.

Speaking on a call with reporters, McCarthy said the rules and use of force would also be reviewed ahead of the Jan. 20 inauguration of President-Elect Joe Biden, which is seen as the next major milestone — and potential target — as the transition of power moves forward.

“We’ll potentially make adjustments accordingly,” McCarthy said of the rules and use of force. National Guard members were deployed Wednesday with protective gear and riot equipment, but without any weapons, whether lethal or non-lethal.

At the moment, McCarthy said there was 741 National Guard members on Capitol grounds, with another 93 working across 31 checkpoints to control traffic into the area. McCarthy said he has been in constant communication with Congressional leadership and DC Mayor Muriel Bowser.

McCarthy began the call by condemning the violence and riots, “Yesterday was a horrible and shameful day here in the Capitol and the nation at large. The District of Columbia asked for the Army to help and the National Guard responded.”

President Trump has canceled plans to travel to Camp David on Friday, according to a source familiar with the plans.

Earlier Thursday aWhite House official told CNN that the President had planned to be away for the weekend, and a temporary flight restriction from the Federal Aviation Administration had been in place over the presidential retreat beginning Friday — meaning civilian aircraft are directed not to fly over the area.

A separate source familiar with the President’s schedule says this trip to Camp David was on Trump’s calendar, prior to Wednesday’s siege of the US Capitol.

Senator Chris Coons testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on October 15, 2020 in Washington, DC.

Sen. Chris Coons, a Democrat from Delaware, fears that President Trump may put the US in a precarious position during his last days in office.

Coons remarks come after White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany walked into the briefing room and made no apology for the President’s behavior, or his rhetoric, or his administration, in the wake of the riot Wednesday at Capitol Hill.

Former Chief of Staff John Kelly listens as President Donald Trump speaks at a briefing on October 5, 2017 in Washington, D.C.

President Trump’s former chief of staff John Kelly today said he would vote to invoke the 25th Amendment if he was still serving in Trump’s Cabinet.

“Yes, I would,” said Kelly, hesitating slightly before replying to CNN’s Jake Tapper’s question: “If you were in the Cabinet right now, would you vote to remove him from office?”

Earlier in the conversation, Kelly, who served on the Cabinet from July 2017 through December 2018, also said current members of the Cabinet ought to meet to consider removing Trump, even though he has just 13 more days in his term.

“The Cabinet should meet and have a discussion,” said Kelly. I don’t think it will happen.But I think the Cabinet should meet and discuss this.”

Watch the moment:

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Two men became the first people to be hit with federal charges on Thursday for their actions in a riot at the US Capitol building one day earlier in which pro-Trump supporters overran the building leading to officers being injured and four deaths.

The men, identified as Christopher Alberts and Mark JeffersonLeffingwell, were both scheduled to appear in federal court in Washington, DC, Thursday afternoon.

Alberts, of Maryland, was charged with one count of carrying or having access to firearms or ammunition on US Capitol Grounds, according to the complaint sworn by an officer with the Metropolitan Police Department.

Alberts, who was wearing a bulletproof vest and wearing a backpack, was approached by the MPD officer after the officer identified a bulge on Albert’s right hip.

The officer said Albert’s tried to flee and after he was apprehended with the help of two other officers they found with a black Taurus G2C 9mm handgun and a magazine of ammunition.

In total, according to the complaint, Alberts had 25 rounds of ammunition on him. The officer also seized a gas mask, pocket-knife, first aid kit, and one military meal-ready-to-eat, or MRE.

Alberts told authorities after his arrest that “he was in possession of the firearm for personal protection and he did not intend on using the firearm to harm anyone.”

Leffingwell, 51, faces three criminal counts and has not yet entered a plea.

During the push of to enter the Capitol building, Leffingwell allegedly attempted to push past a Capitol Police officer who was trying to blockade the building, then punched the officer, authorities said.

The officer, Daniel Amendola, wrote that Leffingwell punched him “repeatedly with a closed fist” in his police helmet and in the chest. The police then restrained him. Leffingwell later apologized to Amendola, according to a court filing.

The Capitol Police officer’s statement of facts released Thursday also described the police reaction to the siege as the joint session of Congress was underway certifying the electoral vote of Joe Biden for president, when a crowd gathering outside that then broke into the Capitol building.

“Members of the US Capitol Police attempted to maintain order and keep the crowd from entering the Capitol; however, shortly after 2:00pm, individuals in the crowd forced entry into the US Capitol, including by breaking windows,” Amendola wrote.

The officer also described evacuating Congressional officials and the Vice President Mike Pence.

“In reacting to the crowd that had breached a window of the building, I moved to a hallway” on the Senate side of the Capitol, Amendola described. “While there, I attempted to form a barrier with other officers to stop or deter additional individuals from entering the Capitol building.”

The federal court proceedings for Capitol-related defendants arebefore Magistrate Judge Michael Harvey of the DC District Courtand are ongoing now.

Police did not report where Leffingwell resides. He is currently being held in the central cellblock of the DC jail, according to his court proceeding. He’ll stay there overnight until he can be seen in court again Friday.Prosecutors say he might flee if released.

His attorney told the court that Leffingwell is a disabled veteran who suffers from memory loss.

Former first lady Michelle Obama speaks at the Obama Foundation Summit at Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, Illinois, in 2019.

In her statement today, former first lady Michelle Obama pointed out the differences in how the behavior of Black Lives Matter protesters and Pro-Trump rioters was treated by the authorities

The former first lady noted that the BLM protests across the country this past summer were an “overwhelmingly peaceful movement”that brought together people of “every race and class.”

“And yet, in city after city, day after day, we saw peaceful protesters met with brute force,” she added.

She continued by saying that “yesterday made it painfully clear that certain Americans are, in fact, allowed to denigrate the flag and symbols of our nation. They’ve just got to look the right way.”

Read more of Michelle Obama’s statement:

President Donald Trump speaks at the "Stop The Steal" rally on January 6.

Acting US Attorney Michael Sherwin said they are looking at all actors involved in the unrest at the US Capitol on Wednesday, including the role President Trump played in inciting the crowd.

When asked directly by a reporter on a press call if investigators were looking at the role Trump played at the rally, Sherwin said,“We’re looking at all actors here and anyone that had a role and, if the evidence fits the elements of the crime, they’re going to be charged.”

Former First Lady Michelle Obama speaks in 2018.

Former first lady Michelle Obama released a statement on Twitter today about the riot at the Capitol yesterday, and called on social media companies to ban President Trump permanently from their platforms.

Some background: Facebook andTwittertook the step on Wednesday of locking Trump’s account on their platforms after his supporters stormed the Capitol building to protest the election.

Twitter said it has locked Trump’s account for 12 hours, and warned for the first time that it may suspend him permanently. Facebook also blocked Trump from posting on its platform for 24 hours, the company said, after it removed a video he posted to his supporters who participated in the riot. Trump will also face a24-hour blockon Facebook-owned Instagram.

Read Michelle Obama’s tweets:

Rioters gather outside the Capitol building in Washington on January 6.

Federal prosecutors in Washington, DC, have filed 15 criminal cases stemming from the unrest at the US Capitol on Wednesday, according to Acting US Attorney Michael Sherwin for the District of Columbia.

Sherwin said “most of those cases” relate to unauthorized entry to the Capitol and the Capitol grounds. He said they were also filing cases involving firearms and theft of property.

“There was a large amount of pilfering at the Capitol. Materials were stolen from several offices,” Sherwin said.The defendants are expected to appear before a federal magistrate’s judge later Thursday. Details of the charges were not yet available.

He added that an additional 40 cases were filed in Superior Court, many of them including charges ranging from unlawful entry to certain areas of the Capitol grounds.

“We also have a handful of assault cases we also have eight firearms cases,” Sherwin said.

He said one man was arrested by federal agents with a military semi-automatic rifle and 11 Molotov co*cktails that were ready to go.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi talks with Vice President Mike Pence after the conclusion of the count of electoral votes in the House Chamber on January 7.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi attempted to reach Vice President Mike Pence earlier today, but was unable to get through to him, and it’s currently unclear whether he plans to call her back, a person familiar with the situation tells CNN.

The understanding was that she was calling to discuss her suggestion that the Cabinet invoke the 25th Amendment.

It’s not clear why she could not reach him, the source noted, meaning whether he was occupied or purposely avoiding the conversation.

Pence has not publicly commented on the proposals the Cabinet seize power from the President.

Some context: Invoking the 25th Amendment would require Pence and a majority of the Cabinet to vote to remove President Trump from office due to his inability to “discharge the powers and duties of his office” — an unprecedented step.

Any 25th Amendment push faces an unprecedented steep hill to come to fruition with little time left before Joe Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20. The calls in Congress, however, underscore the extent to which lawmakers are reeling and furious with the President in the wake of the devastation at the Capitol on Wednesday.

Vice President Mike Pence is seen presiding over the joint session of Congress on January 6.

A source close to the Vice President Mike Pence says he’s planning to attend the inauguration of Joe Biden on Jan. 20.

“That’s the plan,” the source said.

Another source said the Pence has faced pressure from many of those around him who are encouraging him to attend. He has not yet been formally invited, however.

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close ally of Trump,said Thursday that the President’saccomplishments have been “tarnished by yesterday” and the attack “will be a major part of his presidency”.

“When it comes to accountability, the President needs to understand that his actions were the problem, not the solution,” he added.

“I’ve become close to the President personally… It has been an amazing four years in terms of judges, securing the border, a vaccine in record time, deregulating the economy, cutting taxes, historic Mideast peace agreements, the destruction of the caliphate, on and on and on, was tarnished by yesterday,” he said

While he was critical of Trump at a press conference Thursday about the Capitol riot, Graham toed the line and defended Trump by also placing blame on media coverage and Trump’s advisers.

On whether he thinks Trump could incite more violence, he replied: “I’m hoping he won’t.” Adding, that he is hopeful because “I spoke to some people this morning, I got some assurances… I think we are moving in the right direction.”

On the 25th Amendment, he said “I do not believe that’s appropriate at this point.” But he added that, “If something else happens all options would be on the table.”

Graham said he has “absolutely no regrets” about supporting President Trump.

“The reason I’ve been close to the President is I think he’s done tremendous things for this country,” he said, pointing to judicial nominations among other accomplishments.

Asked if he thinks Trump would run for office again in the future, he replied: “I’m not worried about the next election, I’m worried about the next 14 days.”

He also called on Trump to “accept he fell short” in the election, “and a new president will be coming.” He also asked him to “turn down the rhetoric and allow us as a nation to heal and move forward.”

“I am hopeful that the worst is behind us and we can transfer power on January 20,” he said.

He praised Vice President Mike Pence, and said “The things he was asked to do in the name of loyalty were over the top, unconstitutional, illegal and would have been wrong for the country.”

Two sources familiar with the matter say the divide between President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence has deepened over the last 24 hours. Trump is angry at Pence and Pence is disappointed and saddened by Trump, sources say.

Pence’s feelings built up after weeks of Trump trying to convince him to unilaterally overturn the election and it culminated with the mayhem yesterday fomented by the President’s comments.

Additionally, Pence was the one on the phone with Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller urging a more rapid response from the National Guard following widespread frustration among lawmakers about the lack of the response. Trump never called to check on his well-being and still has not reached out to Pence even now.

The source said despite the current dynamic, at this point, it doesn’t appear either will do anything in response, such as Pence resigning.

Additionally, the source says many administration officials who have been discussing invoking the 25th Amendment as CNN reported last night feel today such a move would do more harm than good.

A separate source close to Pence says as of early this afternoon those conversations had not made their way to the his office but lawmakers have been trying to reach him on the matter.

Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller speaks on November 13.

Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller called the storming of the US Capitol “reprehensible and contrary to the tenets of the United States Constitution,” in a statement released by the Pentagon Thursday.

Miller commended the actions of the District of Columbia National Guard, and said the Pentagon would “execute the time-honored peaceful transition of power” to President-elect Joe Biden.

“I strongly condemn these acts of violence against our democracy. I, and the people I lead in the Department of Defense, continue to perform our duties in accordance with our oath of office, and will execute the time-honored peaceful transition of power to President-elect Biden on January 20,” he added.

Miller was named acting secretary by President Trump after the President fired former Defense Secretary Mark Esper after the Nov. 3 election.

FEMA Administrator Pete Gaynor speaks on June 8.

Pete Gaynor, administrator of theFederal Emergency Management Agency, condemned Wednesday’s riots in a message to the workforce Thursday afternoon, calling it an “insurrection,” according to an internal message obtained by CNN.

Gaynor said FEMA staff worked overnight to “support efforts to ensure continuity of government operations,” later adding: “There are many questions lingering about the attack on the U.S. Capitol and it will take time to discover the answers.”

CNN reached out to FEMA for more information on the agency’s role yesterday.

Twitch said Thursday it has disabled President Trump’s channel on the gaming service, making it the latest tech platform to crack down on the President’s accounts after his supporters stormed the US Capitol building.

The move from the Amazon-owned gaming service comes as other platforms escalate their restrictions on the President’s accounts.

On Thursday, FacebookbannedTrump’s account from posting on the platform for at least the duration of his term in office, and possibly “indefinitely.” A day earlier, TwitterlockedTrump’s account temporarily, and warned for the first time that it could suspend him permanently.

Trump has a significantly smaller audience on Twitch than he does on Twitter and Facebook.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, right, speaks during a press conference on January 7.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, said he thinks the nation would be better off if President Trump were to be removed from office during a news conference Thursday.

“We need leadership right now and we need to stop all of this craziness,” Hogan said.

He called the attack by pro-Trump supporters “heinous” and an attack on the rule of law.

“What we saw in the nation’s Capitol was not just an attack on the people’s representatives or historic buildings and our law enforcement. It was an attack on the rule of law, the foundation of self-government and who we are as Americans. The mob may have shattered glass but they did not and they will not shatter our democracy,” he said.

Hogan also noted that while he had the state’s National Guard ready to be deployed to the Capitol, he was unable to get immediate federal authorization to send them in for nearly 90 minutes.

Patrisse Cullors, a co-founder of Black Lives Matter, speaks during an interview on January 7.

Patrisse Cullors, co-founder of Black Lives Matter, condemned security officials’ response to the Capitol Hill riots today, saying protesters who were marching for civil rights over the summer were treated much more harshly.

Cullors went on to say it was “disgusting” that there was “no to little security yesterday.”

She also praised President-elect Joe Biden’s remarks earlier today in which he also drew a contrast between the security response to the Capitol riots and the police response to Black Lives Matter protesters over the summer.

“Hearing President-elect Joe Biden really speak to the dire situation that happened and clarifying that Black Lives Matter protestershave been and continue to betreated differently than Whitesupremacist terrorists was huge,” she said.“He’s speaking not just to thecountry, but speaking on aglobal stage.”

Watch the interview:

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The first defendants arrested during the Capitol riot yesterday are appearing in court now.

In some of the first appearances in the DC Superior Court on Thursday, prosecutors asked for the judge to block defendants from being in the city, noting they were not residents.

Judge Juliet McKenna ordered Michael Jared Amos, 38, of Florida, to stay out of the District of Columbia until further notice, only allowing him in the capital for court-related appearances.

Amos was charged on Wednesday with unlawful entry into the US Capitol building and violating the 6 p.m. curfew set by the mayor. Amos is accused of disobeying the commands of Capitol Police and MPD police officers, and that he ignored the citywide curfew. He has pleaded not guilty.

Another defendant David Ross, 33, of Massachusetts, pleaded not guilty to unlawful entry and violating the 6 p.m. curfew. He also was ordered by the judge to stay away from Washington, DC.

During his court appearance Thursday over Zoom, Amos sat in a holding cell, and said his cell phone was dead. He was wearing a surgical mask and an army green T-shirt with a stars and stripe design. He said he had a hotel room in the DC area, and would be heading out of the city.

Ross, just before his brief hearing ended, asked the judge to explain the charges because he did not understand them, so the judge informed Ross to speak to his attorney.

The federal court, DC’s District Court, will also be hearing new cases related to the riots on Thursday, and that hearing is set to begin shortly.

The DC Superior Court initial hearings are ongoing.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi holds her weekly press conference at the US Capitol on January 7 in Washington, DC.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called President Trump “a very dangerous person who should not continue in office,” adding, “this is urgent. This is emergency of the highest magnitude,” when asked at her news conference if she would encourage Cabinet members not to resign so that they can invoke the 25th Amendment.”

Asked how long she would wait to see if the 25th Amendment would be invoked before potentially pursing impeachment, Pelosi said, “While there’s only 13 days left, any day can be a horror show for America.”

Pelosi also described the interest she is receiving from members to move forward with impeachment.

Asked about how long she would give Vice President Mike Pence to take action Pelosi said: “I don’t know how quickly he might respond, we’ll see. That could be quick.” She added, “I don’t think that it’ll take long to get an answer from the Vice President. It will either be yes or it will be no.”

As she discussed members of the Cabinet, Pelosi also said that the acting Secretary of Defense “has to answer for where the national guard was yesterday.”

“Ask each member of the Cabinet: Do they stand by these actions? Are they ready to say in the next 13 days this dangerous man can do further harm to our country, an assault on our democracy,” Pelosi said.

Watch the moment:

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Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi holds a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 7.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she called for the resignation of the US Capitol Police chief and said the House Sergeant-at-Arms has told her he is submitting his resignation.

Watch the moment:

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A State Department political appointee was fired by the White House today after tweeting last night that President Trump was unfit for office and was to blame for the mob attack on the Capitol, according to two sources familiar with the firing.

Noronha also said that all government officials must uphold the Constitution, not a political party.

“All government officials swear to uphold and defend the constitution. That is where our loyalties must lie – not to any man or political party. @JoeBiden has won the election for President and we must all work together to rebuild our economy and defend our nation,” Noronha wrote in hissecond tweet.

Noronha was notified that he would be fired in a letter from the State Department liaison to the White House today, said a source familiar with the letter. He was given no explicit reason for his ouster, the source said.

Noronha’s bosses at the State Department did not object to him posting his opinion on his personal Twitter account, the sources said. It is unclear who at the White House made the decision to fire him.

Together his two tweets received almost 30,000 retweets as of Thursday afternoon.

Noronha,the State Departmentand White Housedid not immediately reply to request for comment.

See his tweet:

Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as they storm the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 6.

FBI Director Christopher Wray on Thursday said the “violence and destruction of property” at the US Capitol building Wednesday showed “a blatant and appalling disregard for our institutions of government and the orderly administration of the democratic process.”

Wray, in a statement, went on to say that “we do not tolerate violent agitators and extremists who use the guise of First Amendment-protected activity to incite violence and wreak havoc,” and the FBI director went on to say that they would be held accountable.

Wray said the FBI has deployed its full investigative resources and they are working closely with local, state and federal authorities to “aggressively pursue those involved in criminal activity during the events of January 6.”

He said agents and analysts have been gathering evidence, sharing intelligence, and working with federal prosecutors to bring charges.

Federal Judge Merrick Garland delivers remarks after being nominated to be U.S. attorney general by President-elect Joe Biden at The Queen theater on January 7 in Wilmington, Delaware.

President-elect Joe Biden’s attorney general pick Merrick Garland addressed the Capitol siege while accepting his nomination, calling it a reminder of why rule of law is the very foundation of democracy.

Garland, whose nomination to the Supreme Court in 2016 by President Barack Obama was ignored by Senate Republicans, was seen as a top contender for the position, but concerns about the vacancy his selection would create on the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia had raised alarm bells among Biden and many advisers who believed Senate Republicans would block any nomination to that seat. Democrats winning both Georgia Senate allayed those concerns.

President-elect Joe Biden speaks during an event at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Delaware, on January 7.

President-elect Joe Biden said that yesterday, after the chaos started, at the Capitol his granddaughter texted him a photo of police in full military gear lining the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during a Black Lives Matter protest.

He continued: “We all know that is true, and itis unacceptable.Totally unacceptable.”

Watch the moment:

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President-elect Joe Biden speaks during an event at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Delaw, Thursday, January 7.

President-elect Joe Biden said he would work to restore the “honor, integrity, independence” of the US Department of Justice that’s been so “badly damaged” by President Trump, during his announcement of his Justice Department appointments and nominations, including Merrick Garland for attorney general.

“I want to be clear to those wholead this department who youwill serve.You won’t work for me.You are not the president or thevice president’s lawyer.Your loyalty is not to me,” Biden said.

“It’s to the law, the Constitution, the people of thisnation, to guarantee justice,” he said.

Watch the moment:

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Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi holds her weekly press conference at the US Capitol on January 7 in Washington, DC.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called for invoking the 25th Amendment over the riots at the US Capitol and said that if that doesn’t happen then Congress may move to impeach.

This comes after Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer earlier today called for the vice president to immediately invoke the 25th Amendment.

Some context: Invoking the 25th Amendment would require Vice President Mike Pence and a majority of the Cabinet to vote to remove President Trump from office due to his inability to “discharge the powers and duties of his office” — an unprecedented step.

Any 25th Amendment push faces an unprecedented steep hill to come to fruition with little time left before Joe Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20. The calls in Congress, however, underscore the extent to which lawmakers are reeling and furious with the President in the wake of the devastation at the Capitol on Wednesday.

Watch the moment:

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Trump supporters storm the U.S. Capitol on January 6 in Washington, DC.

President-elect Joe Biden began his remarks Thursday before introducing members of his judiciary team by addressing the siege on Capitol Hill Wednesday, admonishing President Trump for inciting the violence and condemning the rioters.

Biden called yesterday one of the darkest days in the history of our nation and reiterated that it was an “unprecedented assault on our democracy.”

“I wish we could say we couldn’t see it coming. But that wasn’t true. We could see it coming,” he said.

Biden said that he will not address questions regarding the invocation of the 25th Amendment against President Trump.

Biden had harsh words for Trump, condemning him for attacking the free press and independent judiciary and using tactics long-used by autocrats and dictators all over the world.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin gives a statement following his meeting meeting with the Israeli prime minister in Jerusalem, on January 7.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is not expected to resign and plans to serve out the administration, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Mnuchin is currently abroad on a multi-country swing but called the violence in Washington “completely unacceptable” during a stop in Israel on Wednesday.

Earlier today, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao became the first Trump Cabinet member to resign in wake of President Trump’s response to a mob of his supporters breaching the Capitol.

President-elect Joe Biden delivers remarks at The Queen theater on January 7 in Wilmington, Delaware.

President-elect Joe Biden said today that President Trump incited “a mobto attack the Capitol.”

He continued, saying Trump’s intention was to “threaten elected representativesof the people of this nation,and even the vice president, tostop the Congress from ratifyingthe will of the American peopleand the just completed free andfair election.”

He called the Trump-inspired attack an “assault on Democracy.”

Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton said impeachment proceedings against President Trump should move forward, and the 25th Amendment should be invoked as well.

“The President of the UnitedStates, just down PennsylvaniaAvenue, called on his supportersto attack the United StatesCapitol.He refused to call out theNational Guard to protect ourgovernment.He was the one behind anattempted coup.That’s why the commander inchief needs to be relieved ofduty,” Moulton said to CNN’s Brianna Keilar.

Moulton said Trump failed to protect the government and the American people, and action is needed as a precedent for future presidents.

Demonstrators breaches barricades to enter the U.S. Capitol during a protest at the Ellipse in Washington, D.C., on January 6.

In a new statement Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell said that an investigation into yesterday’s security breach is needed and that bipartisan discussions have begun.

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh listens to a question at a press conference on March 13, 2020 in Boston.

President-elect Joe Biden is expected to tap Boston Mayor Marty Walsh as labor secretary, two sources familiar with the decision tell CNN.

Elaine Chao, U.S. secretary of transportation, speaks in Washington, D.C., on October 23, 2018.

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao is resigning, a person familiar with the situation and a senior administration official tell CNN.

She’s the first Cabinet member to leave in wake of President Trump’s response to a mob of his supporters breaching the Capitol.

Chao is linking her resignation to Trump’s handling of the unrest on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, the administration official said. Chao — who is thewife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell — is expected to tweet more details about her resignation shortly.

Here’s her full statement:

Dana Bash weighs in:

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President Donald Trump speaks during a rally on January 6 in Washington, DC.

President Trump spoke at a rally in DC on Wednesday before the Pro-Trump rioters storming the US Capitol.

At the rally, he encouraged his supporters to protest at the US Capitol.

Here’s part of what he said at the event:

Despite promising he would join them,Trump retreated to the White House in his SUVand watched on television as the violence unfolded on Capitol Hill.

Erin Burnett reports:

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Senate Sergeant at Arms Michael Stenger walks the halls of the U.S. Capitol outside the Senate Chamber on January 22, 2020 in Washington, DC.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, who will soon be the majority leader, says will fire the current Senate Sergeant-at-Arms when he ascends to his new role in the wake of the attack on the US Capitol.

Michael C. Stenger was appointed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and it was expected that Schumer would eventually replace him when the chamber flipped to Democrats.

But Schumer is making clear Stenger either needs to resign or be fired in the wake of the events that transpired.

House speaker Nancy Pelosi is about to speak following yesterday’s breach of the Capitol.

A pro-Trump mob surrounded the building and at least one rioter was pictured in Pelosi’s office with his feet on her desk.

A Trump supporter sits inside the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi after breaching the Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 6.

Pelosi’s news conference comes as a growing number of lawmakers are calling for Trump’s removal from office.

Sen. Josh Hawley stands in the House Chamber during a reconvening of a joint session of Congress on January 6 in Washington, DC.

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, a Democrat, took toTwitterThursday to address “the horrific results of four years of lies and disinformation.”

Wolf called out Sen. Josh Hawley, Rep. Scott Perry, and other Republicans who “still continued to lie about Pennsylvania’s election.”

Wolf called out Sen. Hawley individually for his rejection of the presidential election results and blamed him for the breach of the US Capitol.

“Even after his actions directly resulted in a violent riot, Sen. Josh Hawley continues to lie about the election. Pennsylvania had a free, fair, and secure election. That’s a fact. Sen. Hawley’s behavior is disgraceful,” Wolf tweeted Wednesday.

President Donald Trump speaks at the "Stop The Steal" Rally on January 6 in Washington, DC.

President Trump and top White House officials did little to check in on Vice President Mike Pence while he and members of his family were inside the US Capitol when Trump-backed rioters stormed the halls of Congress on Wednesday, a source close to the vice president tells CNN.

Pence was joined by his wife Karen Pence and his daughter Charlotte for the ceremonial counting of the electoral votes in Congress Wednesday. Several of the violent Trump supporters who were rampaging the US Capitol were heard screaming “where’s Mike Pence,” the source said, frightening the vice president and his family.

Yet, the President and his top aides barely lifted a finger to check in on Pence to make sure he and his family were unharmed, the source added.

“Was he concerned at all that an angry mob that he commanded to march on the Capitol might injure the vice president or his family?” the source asked.

The White House did not immediately respond to a CNN request for comment.

People close to the vice president now believe he is being set up as a “scapegoat” to shoulder the blame inside Trump-world, after Pence refused to buckle to the President’s demands to engineer a procedural coup that would keep Trump in power.

Some more context: On Tuesday, Pence came under intense pressure from Trump to toss out the election results, during a meeting that lasted hours in the Oval Office. The vice president’s chief of staff, Marc Short, was banned by Trump from entering the West Wing, the source said, as the President repeatedly warned with “thinly veiled threats” to Pence that he would suffer major political consequences if he refused to cooperate.

“The message was pretty clear,” the source said.

The events Wednesday have left some aides to the vice president feeling Pence was betrayed by Trump as well as White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and the President’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani.

“Rudy, Meadows and their teams have been trying to set up the vice president to take the fall as opposed to admitting they laid out false hope in all of this,” the source said.

“Trump just can’t admit defeat and wants a scapegoat,” the source added.

On Thursday, Charlotte Pence Bond, who had been at the US Capitol with the vice president, tweeted hercongratulationsto President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.

Jim Acosta reports:

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With the U.S. Capitol in the background, lights from police vehicles illuminate Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC, on January 6.

House Representative Karen Bass called for a “thorough investigation” into the riots.

“You can’t evencome into the Capitol with apurse without it being screened.How can you break into theCapitol and walk around with flagpoles? And you see the Capitolpolice right there. They werecompletely overwhelmed.Why did that happen?Why didn’t they erect barriersaround the Capitol that arepresent now, the fences?I think a lot of this needs tobe investigated,” she said.

Bass also criticized the “double standard” in the police response to the rioters at the Capitol on Wednesday as compared to what happened during the Black Lives Matter riots in the summer.

“Obviously, Black Lives Mattersprotesters were perceived asvery threatening. And for somereason these weren’t,” she said. “It is so demoralizing forpeople, in particular, AfricanAmericans and other people of color,who know … if tens of thousands ofyoung, old African Americansattacked the Capitol like that,what would have happened.”

“We are sick and tired of seeingthe same type of double standard,” she said.

Trump supporters try to break through a police barrier on January 6 at the Capitol in Washington, DC.

Pennsylvania House Speaker Bryan Cutler and House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff – two Republicans who had rejected the results of the November election – denounced the violence by the Pro-Trump mob in Washington, DC.

The two lawmakers most recentlysigned onto a letter, along with 60 other state legislators, urging the Keystone state’s Congressional delegation to dispute electors.

“We strongly condemn any act of violence and destruction and pray for all those impacted today’ they added.

President-elect Joe Biden has no immediate intention of weighing in on the rising calls for the 25th Amendment to be invoked, people familiar with the matter say.

The Biden transition team has not commented on this, including today’s call from Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer.

Biden has expressed deep revulsion for what transpired at the Capitol, watching the events in disbelief and horror, as he said himself in his remarks on Wednesday. But he has expressed no appetite for adding his voice to the growing calls for Trump’s removal.

There also are no conversations among the former presidents about weighing in, people familiar with the matter say, adding that they don’t believe it would be helpful.

Jeff Zeleny reports:

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Police in Washington, DC, released surveillance camera images of dozens of people they want to talk to as part the investigation into riots at the US Capitol on Wednesday.

The photos were published on the Metropolitan Police Department’s website on Thursday. Police identify those wanted as “persons of interest in unrest-related offense.”

At least one person wanted by police was identified by CNNas part of investigation published Wednesday night. The man is Jake Angeli – a protestor known by followers as the QAnon Shaman. He can be seen in photos roaming the Capitol halls shirtless, holding an American flag affixed to a spear in one hand and a bullhorn in the other.

You can review the photos released by MDP here.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said President Trump was “completely wrong” to encourage a mob of protesters to storm the Capitol building in DC.”

“I unreservedly condemn encouraging people to behave in the disgraceful way they did in the Capitol.”

Charlotte Pence Bond, one of the Vice President’s daughters, has tweeted her congratulations to President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.

Charlotte Pence is very close with her parents and has been a frequent presence at the Vice Presidential mansion as well as on trips with the Second Lady and the Vice President.

Her tweet comes a day after her father, Mike Pence, broke with President Trump in order to carry out his constitutional duty and certify the Electoral College vote. Trump had repeatedly – and falsely – claimed that Pence had the power to overturn the results of the election.

Acting Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen on Thursday said the Department of Justice is committed to hold accountable those who were responsible for the “attack on our Government,” adding that some participants will face charges for the breach of the US Capitol.

Rosen, in a statement released Thursday, said prosecutors are working across agencies to ensure they face the “full consequences of their actions under the law.”

Here’s the full statement from Rosen:

President Trump’s top national security officials have received calls within the last 24 hours urging them not to resign following his widely panned response to the mob attack by his supporters on the US Capitol.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe and National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien have all gotten multiple phone calls within the last 24 hours from concerned former senior national security officials and the leaders of major corporate national security firms asking if they plan to stay on, according to a person familiar with the conversations who had spoken with all three of them.

Pompeo, Ratcliffe and O’Brien all got a similar message: it was important they stay on for the continuity of government in the national security realm.

These former officials and corporate figures conveyed they did not want a political crisis turned into a national security one, the person told CNN, and were concerned foreign adversaries may try to capitalize on it.

The calls come as several other senior figures are weighing resignations or have already stepped down, including Trump’s deputy national security adviser, Matt Pottinger, who resigned Wednesday. As of now, it appears Pompeo, Ratcliffe and O’Brien will not leave their roles. CNN reported Wednesday that O’Brien was considering quitting. Like many others in the administration, they were dismayed by the scenes that unfolded on Capitol Hill, this person said.

After Wednesday’s violent storming of the US Capitol, members are already calling for a review of yesterday’s breach. And the House Appropriations Committee has announced they will review the response to yesterday’s insurrection.

And the ranking member of the House Administration Committee, Rodney Davis, has released a statement calling for a review.

“What happened yesterday should never happen again,” Rodney Davis said in a statement. “In the coming days and weeks, this committee needs to do a thorough review of yesterday’s attack and ensure measures are taken to better prepare for and prevent anything like this from happening again. I agree with Chairperson Lofgren that this review needs to be bipartisan and bicameral,” Rodney Davis said in a statement.

You can read the full statement here.

One woman was fatally shot by police and three people died of apparent medical emergencies Wednesday after a mob of President Trump’s supportersstormed the US Capitol as Congress was certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s win.

The attack comes during the deadly coronavirus pandemic that has already turned life upside down. The US reported 3,865 coronavirus deaths Wednesday, bringing the overalltoll to 361,123 peoplein the US,according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

We want to know how you’re feeling. Let us know using the text box below.

White House deputy press secretary Judd Deere has released a statement on Wednesday’s events resulting in a breach of the US Capitol building incited by President Trump, resulting in four deaths and a ransacked Capitol.

Trump, who has not expressed these sentiments himself, is currently in the Oval Office, a White House official said. A Marine is stationed outside the West Wing.

The woman fatally shot by a US Capitol Police employee as a violent pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol building on Wednesday was identified as Ashli Babbitt, Capitol Police chief Steven Sund said.

“As protesters were forcing their way toward the House Chamber where Members of Congress were sheltering in place, a sworn USCP employee discharged their service weapon, striking an adult female,” Sund said in a statement Thursday. “Medical assistance was rendered immediately, and the female was transported to the hospital where she later succumbed to her injuries.”

The Capitol Police chief did not name the employee, but said they had been placed on administrative leave per department policy while a joint investigation with DC’s Metropolitan Police Department is underway.

Sund also provided new details regarding reports of explosives found near the Capitol complex during the riot. The chief said two hazardous devices were found in the area, which could have caused “great harm to public safety.” Sund said the devices were rendered safe and are now being investigated by The FBI.

The chief appeared to defend his agency in the wake of growing criticism over the apparent lack of preparation that allowed violent extremists to overrun the Capitol Police checkpoint and enter the building.

“The actions of the USCP officers were heroic given the situation they faced, and I continue to have tremendous respect in the professionalism and dedication of the women and men of the United States Capitol Police,” Sund said, adding that the agency is reviewing its policies and response to the violent event.

The Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, DC, is asking for the public’s help in identifying some of the rioters who stormed the US Capitol yesterday.

The department tweeted four photos of some of the people in the mob and urged anyone with information to call them.

Here’s a look at the photos:

After the storming of the US Capitol Wednesday, Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser held a press conference where she called on the incoming Biden administration to approve statehood for the national capital within its first 100 days.

She also called on the new Congress to “immediatelytransfer command of the Districtof Columbia National Guard fromthe President of the UnitedStates and put it squarely underthe command and control of theMayor of the District ofColumbia.”

Calling the riot at the Capitol “textbook terrorism,” Bowser urged Congress to create a nonpartisan commission to understand the “catastrophicsecurity failures” at the Capitol on Wednesday that led to the rioters breaching the building. She also called for an investigation as well as arrests and prosecution of the rioters.

She raised the question of whether the response of law enforcement was stronger during the Black Lives Matter protests in the summer following George Floyd’s death than during the riot at the Capitol.

In stressing accountability, she said:

WATCH:

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Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer is calling for the 25th Amendment to be invoked. He declined to comment on this yesterday when CNN asked.

The 25th Amendment has periodically been discussed as a means of last resort to remove a rogue or incapacitated president.

To forcibly wrest power from Trump, Vice President Mike Pence would have to be on board, according to the text of the amendment (read the full language here).

Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger said his calling forthe 25th Amendmentto be invoked and President Trump to be removed from office is “the right thing to do for our democracy.”

Kinzinger said he’s not sure if any of his GOP colleagues will join him.

“I certainly hopethat others at least hear whatI’m saying and put aside thepolitical moment and realize…history will neverjudge how we did in the politics,but it will judge how we did inmanaging the people’s business,” he said.

Rep. Kinzinger’s call with Erin Burnett:

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US Capitol Police, facing criticism over an apparent lack of preparedness to deal with Wednesday’s violent mob on Capitol Hill, provided first details about the deadly incident that left lawmakers and staff fearful for their lives.

In a statement released Thursday morning, chief of police Steven A. Sund said Capitol Police and other law enforcement officers were “actively attacked” with metal pipes and other weapons.

“They were determined to enter into the Capitol Building by causing great damage,” Sund said.

The Capitol Police fired on an adult woman as “protesters were forcing their way toward the House Chamberwhere Members of Congress were sheltering in place.” The woman was later pronounced dead after being transported to a nearby hospital. The officer involved has been put on administrative leave pending a joint investigation with Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

Sund also said Capitol Police responded to reports of pipe bombs and a suspicious vehicle on the southeast corner of the capitol, adding that the Capitol police “determined that both devices were, in fact, hazardous and could cause great harm to public safety.”

The FBI is investigating the incident further.

Here’s what else the department said:

Lawmakers say they are perplexed at the lack of preparedness among law enforcement given that it had been known for weeks that President Trump was promoting a rally he said was aimed at preventing the certification of Joe Biden’s win.

Illinois Rep. Mike Quigley, who was locked in the House chamber during an armed standoff between Capitol Police and a rioter, praised the officers who were in the building that put their lives on the line to protect the lawmakers. But Quigley made clear that they were outnumbered and law enforcement was underprepared.

“The Capitol Police I was around did an amazing job under difficult circ*mstances,” Quigley told CNN. “My concern wasn’t with how valiant the Capitol Police were. It was that an hour before the debate started, I looked at the throngs of people surrounding different sections of the Capitol — and said, we don’t have enough security.”

Quigley added: “I’m no expert in security, but you can tell we were outmanned in an hour before the debate,” referring to Congress’ proceedings to certify Biden’s win.

William Barr, Trump’s former Attorney General, accused the President of “orchestrating a mob to pressure Congress” and went on to call his conducta “betrayal of his office.”

In response to riots that took place at the US Capitol on Wednesday, Barr said in statement sent to CNN: “Orchestrating a mob to pressure Congress is inexcusable. The President’s conduct yesterday was a betrayal of his office and supporters.”

DC’s Metropolitan Police Department made 68 arrests last night following an insurrection at the US Capitol, according to a mayor’s spokeswoman.

Most of the arrests were made for curfew violations after DC Mayor Muriel Bowser imposed a 6 p.m. ET curfew in the District of Columbia. Other charges included weapons charges and unlawful entry.

Last night’s arrests include the following charges:

Facebook’s restrictions on President Trump’s account will continue at least the next two weeks and perhaps “indefinitely,” CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in ablog post.

The decision marks a major escalation by Facebook as it’s come under intense pressure to ban Trump following his inflammatory rhetoric encouraging insurrection.

If the restrictions hold, Facebook could be the first major platform to remove Trump permanently.

After violent pro-Trump riotersstormed the US Capitolon Wednesday, a growing number of Republican leaders and Cabinet officials told CNN that they believe Donald Trump should be removed from office before Jan. 20.

Some of them called forthe 25th Amendmentto be invoked — as has at least one GOP lawmaker, Rep. Adam Kinzinger.

The amendment has periodically been discussed as a means of last resort to remove a rogue or incapacitated president.

Here’s what you need to know about the amendment:

Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a Republican from Illinois, tweeted a video message Thursday calling for the 25th Amendment to be invoked and President Trump to be removed from office.

Kinzinger said that yesterday, it became evident that Trump “has abdicated his duty to protect the American people and the people’s house.”

Kinzinger said Trump “invoked and inflamed passions that only gave fuel to the insurrection that we saw here.”

“It’s time to invoke the 25th Amendment and end this nightmare,” he added.

Watch the video:

Following Wednesday’s embarrassing federal response to Pro-Trump rioters ransacking of the Capitol, the FBI and other federal law enforcement agencies are planning a push to make arrests and bring charges against those who led the insurrection, federal law enforcement officials said.

Dozens of charges are expected in Washington DC’s local and federal courts, including as many as 15 federal cases against people who are believed to be involved in the more serious alleged crimes, the officials said Thursday.

FBI digital experts spent the night ingesting surveillance video from the Capitol buildings and the area around the complex and are using software to match images and faces with social media posts showing some of the mayhem. In some cases, people involved in storming the Capitol made social media postings ahead of the rally making clear what their plans were, which federal prosecutors can use to help bring charges.

Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen and other federal officials are coordinating the response but are also facing questions about why law enforcement appeared unprepared for the onslaught that in many ways had already been telegraphed by President Trump and his supporters on social media.

Part of the response Thursday includes repairing and building new harder-to-breach fencing around the capitol west-facing grounds to protect the area to be used for Inauguration ceremonies in two weeks. Trump supporters could be seen swarming over the stage where Biden will take the oath of office.

Some more context: On Wednesday, CNN reported that a law enforcement source confirmed to CNN that pipe bombs were found at the headquarters for the DNC, RNC and grounds of the United States Capitol. The source said all the devices were safelydetonated by the police. A source told CNN there could be charges related to that as well.

Ryan Tully, senior director for European and Russian Affairs, has resigned from the National Security Council, a White House official confirms to CNN. He quit after a violent mob stormed the US Capitol yesterday.

The resignation was first reported by Bloomberg News.

Livestream video appears to show a Capitol Hill police officer taking aselfiewith a rioter inside the building.

The snippet of livestream posted online is short, and it’s unclear what prompted, or followed, theinteraction.

CNN has reached out to the Capitol Hill Police for comment about the incident.

Members of the DC National Guard are deployed outside of the US Capitol in Washington DC on January 6, 2021.

Several states and the District of Columbia are mobilizing approximately 6,200 National Guardsmen to Washington, DC, a US defense official tells CNN.

The guardsmen being deployed from out of state include 1,000 from New York, 500 from Maryland and 500 from New Jersey.

As CNN previously reported, the DC National Guard also activated 1,100 members Wednesday to assist in the response to the insurrection at the Capitol.

The FBI is asking Americans to step up and help identify the people that participated in Wednesday’s riot and insurrection at the US Capitol.

It’s not just tips and information that the agency wants, it’s also asking for photos or videos.

You can find out how to submit tips and information here.

DC Attorney General Karl Racine is interviewed in his office at One Judiciary Square on March 7, 2019.

DC Attorney General Karl Racine on Thursday said that federal law enforcement officials let down DC in handling the rioters Wednesday but notes that it is not in his jurisdiction to prosecute the majority of offenses committed.

“DC law enforcement officers,frankly, they did their jobs.And they went out andafterward, they helped theCapitol Police restore orderand arrested folks pursuant tothe curfew order that MayorBowser invoked.Our federal partners let usdown,” Racine said, noting DC Mayor Muriel Bowser’s curfew last night, during an interview Thursday morningon MSNBC’sMorning Joe.

Racine said that he hopes President-elect Joe Biden’s attorney general pick Merrick Garland will pursue arrests.

Jim Sciutto Reports:

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Sen. Jeff Merkley attends a press conference at the Capitol on January 25, 2020.

Sen. Jeff Merkley, a Democrat from Oregon, says rioters who ransacked his office at the US Capitol building Wednesday stole a laptop that was on a table.

In a video posted to his Twitter page early morning, Merkley says rioters “smashed the door virtually off its hinges.” He said the door was unlocked.

Merkley said rioters “tore things off the walls,” including art from a renowned artist, showed a Trump 2020 flag that was left behind and stole a laptop that sitting on a table. He also show a cigarette butt that was stamped out.

“So count this office is trashed. You can see the debris is all over the floor,” he says.

Watch the video here:

John Costello, the Commerce Department’s deputy assistant secretary for intelligence and security, has resigned his post in the wake of the insurrection on Capitol Hill yesterday and the President’s response, a senior administration official tells CNN.

Costello’s resignation is the latest, but likely not the last, in a string of resignations fueled by the President’s handling of yesterday’s unrest.

President Trump on Thursday will return his focus to the trappings of office on Thursday, one day after a mob of his supporters breached the US Capitol and the 2020 presidential election has been certified for Joe Biden.

He is expected to award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to golfers Annika Sorenstam and Gary Player, as well as Olympic athlete Babe Zaharias, a White House official told CNN.

With 13 days left in office, the White House has been inundated with requests for the Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. Thursday’s presentation was not listed on Trump’s public schedule, which instead said Trump would have “many meetings” and “many calls.”

Earlier this week, Trump bestowed the Medal of Freedom upon Rep. Devin Nunes, and is expected to honor Rep. Jim Jordan. Trump is also considering granting the Medal of Freedom to Bobby Bowden, the retired Florida State University football coach.

President Donald Trump arrives at a rally near the White House on January 6.

President Trump’s statement overnight acknowledging that there will be an “orderly transition” was released on Twitter by the President’s aide Dan Scavino without the knowledge of the White House press office, a White House official said.

Nearly six hours after Scavino posted the statement on Twitter, the White House has yet to release the statement on official White House letterhead. It has so far only been posted on Scavino’s personal Twitter page.

White House press officials woke up Thursday morning to find out about the statement via the news, just like everyone else, the official said.

It remains unclear whether the White House will release the statement via official channels.

This is some of the damage and debris still seen throughout the US Capitol building today after a violent mob stormed the building Wednesday afternoon.

John Kelly, then White House chief of staff, attends a meeting at the White House on September 5, 2018.

Former White House chief of staff John Kelly said he was “horrified” by the violent mob that stormed the US Capitol yesterday and urged voters to “look infinitely hard” at who they elect to public office.

In a statement released Wednesday night, Kelly said:

He continued: “We need to look infinitely harder at who we elect to any office in our land.At the office seeker’s character, at their morals, at their ethical record, their integrity, their honesty, their flaws, what they have said about women, and minorities, why they are seeking office in the first place, and only then consider the policies they espouse.”

Kelly, a retired Marine Corps general, served as President Donald Trump’s chief of staff from July 2017 to January 2019.

Rep. Jason Crow comforts Rep. Susan Wild, on the floor in red, while taking cover as pro-Trump rioters breach the Capitol on January 6.

As rioters breached the US Capitol, House Rep. Jason Crow said there was a 15- to 20-minute period “where we were surrounded and had no way out.”

In the moment, he said he reverted to ranger mode and ensured the doors were locked, moved other lawmakers away from the door and “directedthe other members to removetheir pins so they weren’tidentifiable in case the mob didbreak through.”

He was also ready to fight.

“I had a pen in mypocket that I could use as aweapon, I was looking for otherweapons as well. And then I wascoordinating with the Capitolpolice to try to find a way outto for us.”

Crow said he is not surprised this happened after a Trump rally that was held at a short distance from the White House on Wednesday.

“This is the inevitableconclusion of Donald Trump.The story right now in my bookis a story of the enablers —the hundreds and thousands ofpeople, the members of Congresswho are traitors to theircountry after last night, thepeople in Trump’s inner circle,all of whom should know betterand do know better, and haveallowed this to happen.”

To move forward, Crow said it should be ensured that “theterrorists from yesterday aretracked down and put in prison” and that there is a push for the safety of this country.

Watch more:

American Airlines says it is taking several new “precautionary” measures, including no longer serving alcohol on flights to and from Washington, DC, as one union reported several incidents during which flight attendants “were forced to confront passengers exhibiting politically motivated aggression towards other passengers and crew.”

The airline did not provide details on specific incidents, but the announcement came on the same day thousands of rioters —supporters of President Trump— stormed the US Capitol as Congresskicked off its joint sessionto certify President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.

In a message to union members, the president of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants said union leadership was aware of incidents on multiple flights headed to DC.

It directed flight attendants to continue to “maintain situational awareness, and attempt to deal with all safety and security issues on the ground.”

“Remain extra vigilant on flights departing from the Washington, D.C. area for the next few days, and involve your fellow crewmembers if you have safety concerns.”

Read more here.

President Trump has removed the three tweets from his profile that prompted a temporary lock of his account on Wednesday, a Twitter spokesperson told CNN. The move clears the way for Trump to regain control of his tweeting privileges as early as today.

The official confirmation comes after Trumpappeared to complyWednesday evening with Twitter’s requirement that he delete the tweets or face a continued lock on his account.

Earlier on Wednesday, Twitter said Trump’s account would be placed in a temporary time out for policy violations, lasting for 12 hours from the moment he deleted the tweets. Twitter also threatened Trump with a permanent ban from the platform for further violations. No sitting president has ever been banned from Twitter.

Asked what time Trump will be able to tweet again, Twitter declined to comment.

Terrance Gainer, former chief of the US Capitol Police, on January 7.

Following the Capitol Hill riot yesterday, former Chief of the US Capitol Police Terrance Gainer said, “We failed. We did not secure the Capitol and people need to be held responsible and explain what went on.”

Speaking on CNN’s New Day on Thursday, Gainer said police were “outnumbered.” They “underestimated their strength” and “overestimated their ability to control the crowd,” he said.

Gainer said watching police try to hold the crowd outside, while also clearing the building inside “was a slow, ugly process.”

Gainer said over the summer authorities “mishandled” how they dealt with Black Lives Matter protests in Lafayette Square. “I’m pretty sure the Capitol Police were trying to do something a little softer, as we try to welcome protestors up there, but it got out of hand.”

Though Gainer was clear to say it’s not fair to compare how police managed the two different groups, he added, “I think it’s a little more complicated and deeper than that.”

“It’s heartbreaking when I know the goodness and the hard work that the Capitol Police do and the Senate Sergeant-At-Arms and the House Sergeant-At-Arms.They will analyze this and make sure it doesn’t happen again,” he said. “But it was a failure and I apologize on behalf of the security people.We failed.”

WATCH:

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The police response to rioters storming the US Capitol on Wednesday was a message on “double standards” around race for young people of color in the country, CNN commentator Van Jones said.

13 people were arrested for the riots on Wednesday. But many drew comparisons between the police response yesterday and last year’s Black Lives Matter protests, where police met protesters with tear gas, violence and arrests.

“If you’re Black, if you are aprogressive, the price ofprotesting — I don’t mean ariot, I just mean civildisobedience —…the price of that is you go tojail for it,” he said. “So to watch a complete lawlessband of traitors andinsurrectionists go and tear upthe Capitol, bring guns to theCapitol, put their feet up onpeople’s stuff, take pictures ofemails, walk out … and nowthose people are eating a pancakesomeplace,” Jones added.

He continued:

“You just sent the best messageyou could ever send or the worst to a wholegeneration, black, white, brownand otherwise that there is adouble standard like you wouldnot believe,” he added.

Stephanie Grisham, theformer White House communications directorand press secretary and current chief of staff forfirst lady Melania Trump, submitted her resignation Wednesday afternoon, effective immediately, in the wake of the violent protests.

Grisham was the first person to resign in reaction to the pro-Trump mob attack on the nation’s Capitol. She was one of the longest-serving Trump administration officials, having begun working for then-candidate Trump in 2015 as a press wrangler on the campaign trail.

Grisham’s resignation was followed by Matt Pottinger, President Trump’s deputy national security adviser, who also resigned Wednesday afternoon.

Early this morning, Mick Mulvaney, Trump’s former chief of staff and current special envoy to Northern Ireland, confirmed his resignation. In an interview with CNBC he said he called Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Wednesday night and resigned.

“I called Mike Pompeo last night to let him know I was resigning from that. I can’t do it. I can’t stay,” Mulvaney said in the interview.

WATCH MORE HERE:

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New York Democratic Rep. Grace Meng on January 7.

New York Democratic Rep. Grace Meng said it was “very frightening” as a mob breached the Capitol yesterday.

Meng said she was in a room close to the House chambers and realized rioters were “literally right outside my door.” She barricaded herself by moving furniture in front of her door and stayed there for over five hours, she said on CNN’s “New Day.”

Meng sent a tweet during the chaos saying she said goodbye to her family.

Meng said she was surprised at how the mob was able to breach the Capitol.

“I honestly did not fullyexpect…that they would be able to insuch a quick amount of time beable to break through thebarriers and come into thepeople’s house.The pace of them being able toinfiltrate our Capitol was notexpected,” she said.

Meng said she wants to see people held accountable for yesterday’s actions.

President Trump “didnot do anything until it was waytoo late to tell these folks totaper down and to be peaceful,” she said.

Watch:

Mick Mulvaney, then acting White House chief of staff, listens during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on March 2, 2020.

President Donald Trump’s former chief of staff and current special envoy to Northern Ireland, Mick Mulvaney, has resigned.

He told CNBC in an interview this morning that he called Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last night and resigned.

He added: “Those who choose to stay, and I have talked with some of them, are choosing to stay because they’re worried the President might put someone worse in.”

Mulvaney’s resignation follows the departure of at least two other Trump loyalists. Stephanie Grisham, theformer White House communications directorand press secretary and current chief of staff forfirst lady Melania Trump, submitted her resignation Wednesday afternoon, as did President Trump’s deputy national security adviser Matt Pottinger.

WATCH:

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President Donald Trump greets the crowd at a "Stop The Steal" rally in Washington, DC, on January 6.

President Trump’s dark-of-night statement vowing an “orderly transition” was designed in part to prevent a wave of resignations from the West Wing and broader administration, according to a person familiar with the matter.

At least one person, who was believed to be considering resigning on Wednesday, is now planning to remain in the administration. National security adviser Robert O’Brien has told aides he now intends to remain in his post until Trump leaves office, though his plans could still change depending on how Trump approaches the day. He made his decision before Trump released the statement.

O’Brien was persuaded to stay by other senior staffers who expressed concern about the national security implications of a vacant post in the final days of the administration.

The statement from the President, released through his deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino’s twitter account at 3:50 a.m. ET, said “there will be an orderly transition on January 20th” even though he disagreed with the outcome of the election.

Trump agreed to the statement after being advised of the dismay and disgust among many of his aides, though the person familiar said it was not the sole reason for its release. It also came after reports that early discussions were underway about evoking the 25th Amendment and restarting impeachment proceedings.

It was meant as a signal from Trump that the next 13 days will proceed without incident. But it came months after Joe Biden won the election and hours after Trump urged his supporters to protest at the Capitol. Even among his team and close allies it is viewed as coming far too late and offering far too little condemnation for what happened at the Capitol building.

Just after Congress met yesterday for a joint session to certify Joe Biden’s Electoral College win, pro-Trump rioters stormed the US Capitol, prompting lawmakers to evacuate the building.

The Capitol was secured later that evening, and Congress returned to resume the certification process, with proceedings stretching into the early hours of this morning.

If you’re just reading in now, here’s what you need to know about what happened over night:

In its first comments on the chaotic events at the US Capitol on Wednesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said it wishes “the friendly people of America” to go through this “dramatic moment in their own history with dignity.”

A spokesperson for the ministry criticized the US election system, calling it “archaic,” and claimed it created “opportunities” for violations:

“This largely caused the split in society that can be now observed in the United States,” she added.

Reminder: Elections in Russia have been long criticized for multiple violations, from ballot stuffing to lack of real competition, according to both foreign and domestic observing organizations.

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said that 2018 Russian presidential elections have been characterized by “restrictions on fundamental freedoms and lack of genuine competition.”

Republican Rep. Nancy Mace on January 7.

Republican Rep. Nancy Mace, who was just sworn in on Sunday, condemned “anarchy” after pro-Trump rioters breached the Capitol yesterday.

Mace, a single mom, said that she was so concerned by rhetoric “from the President on down” before the rally on Wednesday that she sent her two kids back home after she was sworn in.

“I thought, ‘how neatwould that be to roam the hallsof Congress, do your virtualclasses,’ and instead, I put themon the first flight home Mondaymorning, because I was worried.And my fears came trueyesterday,” she said.

Mace said the Republican Party needs to “start over,” and some GOP lawmakers should take responsibility for the deadly insurrection.

“What happened yesterday isbecause millions of peopleacross the country were misledby Republicans and by theadministration that members ofCongress could overturn andusurp the Electoral College in asingle vote to object yesterday.And that’s simply not true,” she added.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel makes a statement in Berlin on January 7 — about the previous day's riots in Washington, DC — during a Christian Social Union parliamentary group digital press conference.

Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed sadness and anger at the scenes of pro-Trump rioters storming the US Capitol on Wednesday.

“A basic rule of democracy is after the election there are winners and losers,” Merkel said, adding,

Merkel is one of many world leaders who condemned Wednesday’s violence around the US Capitol.

She made her comments during a virtual meeting with German conservative parties this morning, saying:

However, Merkel expressed optimism that US lawmakers went back to work and certified Joe Biden’s Electoral College win, calling it “a sign of hope.”

“It is also certain with the confirmation of the election victory of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris that the United States of America will open a new chapter of the democracy in less than two weeks, as it is supposed to happen,” she added.

Judge Merrick Garland is pictured during a meeting in Washington, DC, on April 28, 2016.

President-elect Joe Biden formally announced Judge Merrick Garland as his nominee for attorney general, along with additional members of his justice team, which CNN reported yesterday.

New Hampshire Rep. Annie Kuster, pictured at front in blue, shelters in the House gallery as pro-Trump rioters try to break into the Chamber at the Capitol on January 6.

As lawmakers sheltered in place when pro-Trump protesters stormed the US Capitol on Wednesday, New Hampshire Rep. Annie Kuster said she was “fearful for her life.”

“We were scrambling to hidebehind the wall of the balcony,” she said as she described the moment. “I was trying to get mycolleagues to safety, gettingthem behind the railing.”

Eventually, the lawmakers were told to evacuate.

“They told us to use the gasmasks that are under the seats,and we had to scramble acrossthe entire length of thebalcony,” she said. “It was shortlyafter I left that the shot rangout that broke the window andwithin minutes, they hadbreached the door and they werein the chamber.”

She added:

“I was frightened that itwould be a mass casualtyincident, that if they hadautomatic weapons they couldhave killed hundreds of membersof Congress.”

Kuster called the incident “domestic terrorism.”

Watch more:

Steve Mnuchin, Treasury secretary, arrives for a meeting at the Capitol on July 28, 2020.

One of President Trump’s most loyal Cabinet members, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, described the violence at the US Capitol Wednesday as “completely unacceptable.”

Standing alongside Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, Mnuchin said:

Priti Patel, British home secretary, speaks on November 3.

President Donald Trump’s comments “directly led” to the violent protests atthe US Capitol, British Home Secretary Priti Patel told British media early on Thursday.

“His comments directly led to the violence,” Patel said on BBC Breakfast.

“Quite frankly the violence that we’ve seen has just been so appalling and there is no justification for it,” she added.

Patel referred to the US as “a beacon of democracy and freedom,” adding that the country should now move on and get on with an orderly transition.

Since Patel’s interview, President Trump has said in a statement “there will be an orderly transition on January 20th.” This came after a formal affirmation of President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory.

Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley gestures toward supporters of President Donald Trump gathered outside the Capitol on January 6.

Congress has now certified President-elect Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory, despite a chaotic and deadly scene that erupted after a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol and delayed the proceedings.

The joint session of Congress, which is normally a ceremonial step, was halted for several hours when rioters breached the Capitol.

Proceedings resumed at about 8 p.m. ET Wednesday, with Vice President Mike Pence bringing the Senate session back into order.

The Senate and House rejected objections to throw out Georgia and Pennsylvania’s electoral votes for Biden. Republicans also objected to Arizona, Nevada and Michigan’s electoral votes, but the motions failed before they reached debate.

The Senate voted 93 to 6 to dismiss the objection raised by Republicans to Arizona’s results, and 92 to 7 to reject the objection to Pennsylvania.

These are the senators who voted to object to some of the results of the election (and the states they objected to):

The House ultimately voted to reject an objection to throw out Pennsylvania’s Electoral College votes for President-elect Joe Biden, but over half of the House Republicans backed the effort.The challenge failed by a vote of 282-138.

The GOP House minority leader, Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California, and his deputy, Steve Scalise, were among those seeking to overturn the results.

Following a formal affirmation of President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory, President Trump said the decision “represents the end of the greatest first term in presidential history.”

“I have always said we would continue our fight to ensure that only legal votes were counted. While this represents the end of the greatest first term in presidential history, it’s only the beginning of our fight to Make America Great Again,” Trump said while repeating false claims about the election that incited a mob to storm the Capitol.

Merrick Garland walks into Federal District Court in Washington, DC on November 17, 2017.

President-elect JoeBidenis expected to introduce MerrickGarlandas his choice for attorney general, along with other senior members of the Justice Department leadership team, during an announcement at 1:30 p.m. ET Thursday in Wilmington, Delaware, aides say.

The timing of the event has taken on even greater significance, given the violent breach of the Capitol yesterday, along with the rest of the mob-fueled insurrection.

FollowingBiden’s strong denunciation of the violence yesterday,Garlandis also poised to speak for the first time, offering a window into his thinking on what the role of the Department of Justice is in the post-Trump era.

Some background on the nominee: Obama nominated Garland to the Supreme Court after a vacancy was created by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia in 2016. Republicans, led by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, refused for months to hold confirmation hearings or the required vote in the chamber.

When Trump took office, Garland’s nomination expired and he returned to his position as chief judge of the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit. The court is charged with reviewing challenges to administrative agencies. He stepped down from the position as chief judge in February 2020, but still serves on the court. President Bill Clinton appointed him to the court in 1997.

All four living former presidents — Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter — derided the rioters whoforced an evacuation of the House and Senate chambersof the US Capitol in strongly worded statements that stressed the need for a peaceful transfer of power.

Supporters, spurred by President Trump, breached the Capitol complex on Wednesday and threw into question when Congress would resume counting Electoral College votes and declare President-elect Joe Biden the winner of the election.

“Right now, Republican leaders have a choice made clear in the desecrated chambers of democracy,” Obama, a Democrat, said. “They can continue down this road and keep stoking the raging fires. Or they can choose reality and take the first steps toward extinguishing the flames. They can choose America.”

Bush, the last previous Republican president, said that “this is how election results are disputed in a banana republic — not our democratic republic.”

“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. The violent assault on the Capitol —and disruption of a Constitutionally-mandated meeting of Congress — was undertaken by people whose passions have been inflamed by falsehoods and false hopes,” he added.

Pro-Trump supporters storm the U.S. Capitol following a rally with President Donald Trump on January 6, in Washington, DC.

Supporters ofPresident Trumpbreached the Capitol yesterday, engulfing the building in chaos after Trump urged his supporters to fight against the ceremonial counting of the electoral votes to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s win.

A woman, who is yet to be identified, died after being shot in the chest on the Capitol grounds, DC police confirmed to CNN.

Here’s how key events unfolded throughout the day: