(Business Insider) The US Capitol went into lockdown on Wednesday after throngs of President Donald Trump’s supporters breached multiple barriers, clashed with law enforcement officers, and tried to storm the Capitol building on Wednesday as Congress met to certify the results of the 2020 general election.
“All buildings within the Capitol Complex, Capitol: External security threat, no entry or exit is permitted, stay away from exterior windows, doors. If outside, seek cover,” Capitol police said in message.
The certification process is typically pro forma and doesn’t draw much, if any, national attention. But it’s in the spotlight this year given Trump’s groundless assertion that Congress and Vice President Mike Pence can unilaterally throw out the electoral votes of states based on the president’s unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter and election fraud.
