Capitol Invasion: The Causes and What Happens Now
January 13, 2021
On January 6th, the world witnessed a mob of pro-trump supporters invade the Capitol building in Washington D.C; they were seen breaking windows and doors, looting offices, and invading the senate floor; 5 people were killed, including a young police officer who was beaten to death by the mob.
They made it inside the same building where senators and electors were officially casting their electoral votes in favor of Joe Biden to certify his victory over Donald Trump. The point of controversy being, who caused the mob to attack the Capitol building? And how was Donald Trump involved?
On December 30, following his loss against multiple state recounts, the 45th president began to tweet of protests on January 6th (2021). In one of his tweets, he wrote, “JANUARY SIXTH, SEE YOU IN DC!” He then proceeds to tweet once more where he calls the election a fraud and rigged, comparing it to the state of third world countries. The tweets were one of several where he continues to berate the integrity of the election and where he continued to plan for a protest that occurred on January 6th. Speculation remains on whether he directly incited the riots.
Trump later condemned the riots in a video he uploaded to Twitter and Facebook. The video consisted of Trump asking for protestors to remain peaceful and nonviolent during the protests. He repeatedly called them, “very special people” and as well as “nice people” after the invasion of the capitol building.
Following the Capitol invasion events, a cooperation between the FBI and local law enforcement has begun making arrests on the mob who invaded the building. According to the AP news, only 57 arrests have been made so far out of the hundreds of pro-trump supporters caught on videos and photos of the event. The FBI has spoken out in response to the number of arrests as they ask for any information relating to the planning or attendance of the event. Seek out more information on the FBI Twitter page.
The invasion of the Capitol building had delayed the casting of electoral votes. However, congress resumed the following day, certifying Biden’s electoral win. As the inauguration of the 46th president edges closer, we await the effects of the current president’s riots. Many congress members, most prominently Cori Bush, AOC, and Ilham Ahmar, have condemned the acts pushing for the resignation of senate and house members who encouraged the riots. Earlier this week, Nancy Pelosi also filed a new impeachment process for Donald Trump to the house floor, awaiting approval.
Work Cited:
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/11/house-trump-impeachment-457440
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/01/06/congress-electoral-college-vote-live-updates/
