What to Know
- Republican Sen. Josh Hawley says he is going forward with his objection to the Electoral College results in Pennsylvania despite the violent breach at the Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump.
- The Missouri senator said he did not support violence but said the Senate should go forward with a legal process that includes his objections.
- Hawley says his objections should be debated “peacefully, without violence, without attacks, without bullets."
Republican Sen. Josh Hawley said he was going forward with his objection to the Electoral College results in Pennsylvania despite the violent breach at the Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump.
The Missouri senator said he did not support violence but said the Senate should go forward with a legal process that includes his objections.
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Hawley said his objections should be debated “peacefully, without violence, without attacks, without bullets." He also said he hoped lawmakers would not brush his concerns aside because of the violence earlier Wednesday, including the death of a protester inside the Capitol.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf called Hawley's actions "shameful" in a statement on twitter.
The objection to Pennsylvania’s Electoral College votes ultimately failed in the House, moving the counting process along after a series of delays during what was previously thought of as a simply ceremonial event.
A total of 138 House members voted to sustain the objection, and 282 members opposed the motion.
Politics
While the Senate decided to forgo any discussion on the objection before voting to strike the motion, House members engaged in two hours of debate. Legislators from both chambers then resumed their joint session and finished counting the Electoral College votes.
Finally, early Thursday morning, Congress affirmed Democrat Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election after a long and tense day on Capitol Hill.
Trump has claimed widespread voter fraud to explain away his defeat to President-elect Joe Biden, though election officials have said there wasn't any.
Angry supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday in a chaotic protest aimed at thwarting a peaceful transfer of power, forcing lawmakers to be rushed from the building and interrupting challenges to Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory. Congress returned later Wednesday to resume their proceedings after the Capitol was cleared by law enforcement.
Hours later, police had declared the Capitol was secured.
