Rep Scanlon Says She Is Safe, Heartbroken Amid Capitol Siege

DELAWARE COUNTY, PA — A large group of pro-Trump protesters have taken over the United States Capitol Building Wednesday, causing elected officials to provide statements and updates on the situation.

U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, who represents all of Delaware County, as well as parts of South Philadelphia and lower Montgomery County, tweeted Wednesday afternoon that she was safe.

However, Scanlon said the situation in Washington DC has left her heartbroken.

Members of Congress from both parties implored President Donald Trump to use his influence on Twitter to quell the violence. One person was treated for a gunshot wound at the Capitol, a Washington, D.C., paramedic told the Washington, D.C., Fox News affiliate. CNN cited two sources saying the woman was in critical condition.

Trump, who moments earlier had told the teeming crowd of protesters that he would never concede, asked supporters at the Capitol "to remain peaceful."

"No violence!" Trump tweeted. "Remember, WE are the Party of Law & Order — respect the Law and our great men and women in Blue. Thank you!"

Among those saying he didn't go far enough was Mick Mulvaney, his former chief of staff. "He can stop this now and needs to do exactly that," Mulvaney said. "Tell these folks to go home."
Vice President Mike Pence also implored protesters to vacate the Capitol in a post on Twitter.

Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser had earlier asked the National Guard to provide crowd control in her city, but because the District is not a state, Bowser does not have the same authority as a governor to activate the National Guard. That request would have to come from the White House.

The National Guard was reportedly on the way to Capitol Hill, CNN reported.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan ordered his State Police to help DC's Metropolitan Police end the violence at the Capitol. The Montgomery County (Maryland) Police Department, in response to a plea for help from DC police, sent 53 tactical officers to D.C. this afternoon to help put down the rioting.

Threats of violence extended across Washington, D.C.

An explosive device was found at the headquarters of the Republican National Committee in Washington and the nearby headquarters of the Democratic National Committee was evacuated after the discovery of a suspicious package on Wednesday, the New York Times reported. The device found at the R.N.C. was a pipe bomb that was destroyed by a bomb squad, according to an official for the R.N.C.

Both the Library of Congress and the Cannon House Office Building were evacuated Wednesday afternoon after numerous demonstrators marched down to the U.S. Capitol and forced their way into both chambers of Congress. The moves followed a speech by Trump and the first round of congressional objections to Biden's election.

The Washington Post reported that hundreds of protesters stormed the Capitol barricades. A Huffington Post politics reporter tweeted out that the Capitol Building itself had been breached.CNN reports that authorities have used flashbangs to push back protesters, but the network's footage showed people milling through the Statuary Hall.

There was confusion in the House chamber as the Capitol doors were locked and the debate over the electoral count was suspended, the Associated Press reported. A representative from the Capitol Police spoke from a lectern on the dais and told lawmakers to remain calm, and that more information would be available soon.

A staffer on the House floor told NBC's Cory Smith that they were being asked to put gas masks in the chamber, as protesters banged on the chamber door. Capitol Police and the body's sergeant at arms had their guns drawn as protesters tried to make their way inside the House chamber, the network said.

Protesters gained access to the Senate floor, where the Electoral College votes were being debated for certification.

The Washington Post reports Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi asked the National Guard to clear and secure the Capitol via a request from a Capitol Police Board. A Pelosi staffer said she is safe, but didn't share her location, NBC reported.

Rep. Mike Gallagher, a Republican from Wisconsin, called in to CNN to ask Trump to use his Twitter power to urge protesters to leave the Capitol and go home.

Rep. Mark Pocan tweeted from inside the Capitol: "It's a sad day for America when the President incites domestic terrorism," said the Democrat from Wisconsin.

Bowser ordered a citywide curfew from 6 p.m. Wednesday to 6 a.m. Thursday. No person other than those designated by the mayor can walk, bike, run loiter, stand, or travel by car or other mode of transportation on any District street, alley, park, or other public place.

The curfew does not apply to essential workers, including working media with outlet-issued credentials, when they are engaged in essential functions or traveling to and from their essential work.

"This is wrong. This is not who we are. I'm heartbroken for our nation today," Rep. Nancy Mace said in a post on Twitter. The South Carolina Republican also reported seeing protesters assault Capitol Police.

"Our Democracy is being attacked and disrupted by a mob incited by a corrupt and disgraceful President," Rep. Kathleen Murphy of Virginia said on Twitter. "(President Trump) has incited a riot. Does anyone need any more evidence of his lack of respect for America and disqualification to be President?"

About 2:40 p.m. the president tweeted: "Please support our Capitol Police and Law Enforcement. They are truly on the side of our Country. Stay peaceful!"

MPD told The Washington Post it had made 10 arrests between Tuesday afternoon and early Wednesday at the pro-Trump demonstrations, including for weapons violations and assault.

As Congress prepared to ratify the results of the 2020 election on Wednesday, far-right supporters of Trump rallied in the District to back his false claim that he won the election.

The president has lost more than 60 court challenges nationwide as judges have ruled his attorneys have presented no proof of voter fraud or election tampering.

Earlier this week, Bowser and other local leaders urged people around the D.C. region to avoid the downtown area and not confront the demonstrators.

"We are urging D.C. residents, people from around the region, to avoid the downtown area and especially avoid people who are coming here to look for confrontations, particularly physical confrontations," Bowser said, during a Monday morning press conference.

By 9 a.m. on Wednesday, thousands of Trump supporters had already gathered on the National Mall to await an expected appearance by Trump, according to a tweet from Washington Post reporter Michael Brice-Saddler.

Trump spoke to the crowds gathered outside the White House around noon. He started off by criticizing the media and "big tech."

Trump then began repeating his false claims that he won the presidential election by huge margins, which elicited applause from his followers.

"All of us here today do not want to see our election victory stolen by bold and radical-left Democrats," he said.

The president went on to thank the small number of Republican senators and members of Congress who planned to vote in opposition of the election ratification.

Despite the theatrics by a growing number of Republican lawmakers, Trump's desperate attempt to stay in the White House for another four years has little chance of succeeding in a bipartisan vote in Congress to accept the results declaring Biden the winner of the Electoral College by a margin of 306-232. Biden's inauguration is Jan. 20.

The Metropolitan Police Department and Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency activated the District's Emergency Operations Center on Monday to coordinate the city's response to the demonstrations with federal agencies.

In addition, the National Guard was activated and was to be deployed to assist MPD in crowd management and traffic control.

MPD will enforce District gun laws, which prohibit anyone from carrying a firearm within 1,000 feet of a First Amendment activity. Federal law prohibits the possession of firearms on the U.S. Capitol grounds or on National Park Service area, such as Freedom Plaza, the Ellipse, and the National Mall.

On Monday, MPD arrested Enrique Tarrio, leader of the far-right the Proud Boys group, according to news reports.

Tarrio was charged in connection with the burning of a Black Lives Matter banner taken from Asbury United Methodist Church on Dec. 12., the Washington Post reported. The banner was later burned by a group of Proud Boys.

Asbury United Methodist was one of four District churches vandalized in the aftermath of the Stop the Steal protest in support of President Donald Trump.

At the same time pro-Trump supporters were gathering on Freedom Plaza Wednesday morning, National City Christian Church unveiled a 16-foot Black Lives Matter banner, according to WJLA.

The church said in a release that the banner is "in response to ongoing fearmongering and racial hatred, the 'national church' of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) will bear witness to love and inclusion.

Story by Michael O'Connell with contributed reporting by the Associated Press