Va. National Guard dispatched to U.S. Capitol, under siege

Updated, 8:45 a.m. Jan. 7

Gov. Ralph Northam declared a state of emergency in Virginia Wednesday evening and ordered a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew for Alexandria and Arlington County at the localities’ request, after crowds of supporters of President Donald Trump breached and took over the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate chambers for about four hours Wednesday afternoon, disrupting the certification of electoral college votes for President-elect Joe Biden.

Earlier in the afternoon, Northam said he would send Virginia National Guard members and 200 Virginia State Police troopers to Capitol Hill to assist with efforts to dispel what Biden and former President George W. Bush both referred to as an “insurrection.”

According to CNN, police regained control of the Capitol just before 6 p.m. after nearly four hours of chaos in the legislative building, while legislators and staffers were placed on lockdown.

Northam tweeted at 3:30 p.m. that he was “working closely” with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer “to respond to the situation in Washington, D.C. Per the mayor’s request, I am sending members of the Virginia National Guard along with 200 Virginia State Troopers.” In a 5:30 p.m. tweet, Northam said he was declaring the state of emergency “so we can continue to respond.”

The Capitol building was placed on lockdown Wednesday after hundreds of people, some armed with weapons and holding pro-Trump signs, broke windows and entrances to gain access to the legislative chambers. A woman was shot by a Capitol Police officer and later died; she was identified by The Washington Post as Ashli Babbitt, a 35-year-old Air Force veteran who was there as part of the crowd.

Multiple Trump supporters were photographed sitting in the presiding officer’s seat in the Senate and occupying legislative offices.

As of 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, more than two hours after the breach began, Trump released a video on Twitter — still falsely alleging that he had won the presidential election, claiming it was stolen — saying, “Go home, go home in peace.” He told protestors, “We have to have peace. So go home. We love you. You’re very special.” Twitter and Facebook eventually removed the video.

The crowd did not appear to heed the president’s advice to go home.

Before Trump’s video was released, Biden delivered brief remarks via a national televised address from Wilmington, Delaware, where he called on Trump “to demand an end to this siege” and tell his supporters to go home. Biden called the storming of the Capitol a “godawful display.”

Wednesday evening, former President George W. Bush released a strongly worded statement, calling the incident “a sickening and heartbreaking sight. This is how election results are disputed in a banana republic — not our democratic republic.”

Decrying “reckless behavior of some political leaders since the election,” Bush said that the “violent assault on the Capitol … was undertaken by people whose passions have been inflamed by falsehoods and false hopes. Insurrection could do grave damage to our nation and reputation.”

He concluded: “Our country is more important than the politics of the moment. Let the officials elected by the people fulfill their duties and represent our voices in peace and safety.”

Trump has claimed since just after Election Day that he won in a “landslide,” despite all evidence to the contrary, including dozens of lawsuits filed by his lawyers being rejected by state and federal judges, several of whom were appointed by Trump.

Just after 1:45 p.m. Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Fairfax, tweeted, “I just had to evacuate my office because of a pipe bomb reported outside. Supporters of the president are trying to force their way into the Capitol, and I can hear what sounds like multiple gunshots. I don’t recognize our country today and the members of Congress who have supported this anarchy do not deserve to represent their fellow Americans.”

A pipe bomb found at the Republican National Committee headquarters in D.C. was detonated by a bomb squad Wednesday and the Democratic National Committee was evacuated following a report of a suspicious package.

Although U.S. legislators and Vice President Michael Pence began to be evacuated around 2:15 p.m., President Trump did not immediately call for the D.C. National Guard to take action at the Capitol, despite a request from Pelosi. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany tweeted at 3:36 p.m. that Trump had called for the National Guard to take action, along with “other federal protective services. We reiterate President Trump’s call against violence and to remain peaceful.”

Because of Washington’s status as a district, its mayor cannot activate the National Guard as governors can. The U.S. Department of Defense must approve the activation of the D.C. National Guard.

According to reports, 1,100 Washington, D.C., guardsmen were reporting for duty after Washington Mayor Muriel E. Bowser requested that guardsmen already on duty be dispatched to the Capitol. According to The Washington Post, the Pentagon instead offered to replace police in other capacities to allow more Washington city police officers to respond at the Capitol.

Bowser announced a 6 p.m. citywide curfew, with all Metrorail and Metrobus service ending early, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority said. Rail service ended at 8 p.m. and bus service at 9 p.m.

The president spoke earlier in the day to thousands of protesters who came to the nation’s capital to oppose the certification of electoral college votes affirming Biden’s victory as part of a planned “Save America March” that attracted a reported 30,000 Trump supporters.

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