US elections: Biden asks Trump to denounce chaos amid Capitol siege
- Trump's supporters breached security and stormed congress in a bid to halt Biden's certification process
- Biden condemned the violence, terming it an "assault on the citadel of liberty" and imploring the outgoing leader to step up and end the mayhem
- The charged tussle has since led to the death of four people, including one woman, who was shot inside the Capitol
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United States President-elect Joe Biden has challenged the outgoing President Donald Trump to go public on television and denounce the chaos at Capitol Hill.
There was a moment of shame at the House on Wednesday, 6 January after Trump's supporters breached security and stormed the congress in a bid to halt Biden's certification process.
Taking to Twitter, the Democratic party leader condemned the violence, terming it an "assault on the citadel of liberty" and imploring the outgoing leader to step up and end the mayhem.
Source: UGC
"I call on President Trump to go on national television now to fulfil his oath and defend the Constitution by demanding an end to this siege," said Biden.
The Republican had earlier urged the protesters to be peaceful but has since faced pressure from his allies and former aides to speak out more forcefully against the violence.
Source: Getty Images
Transfer of power
According to BBC News, the protesters entered the House of Chambers while Congress was confirming Electoral College votes for the 2020 presidential election where Democrat Biden trounced Trump by 306 to 232 votes.
The mayhem forced lawmakers, who needed to shield themselves from danger, to temporarily stop the day's business under the protection of the police.
Four confirmed dead
As reported by CNN, the charged tussle has led to the death of four people, including one woman, who was shot inside the Capitol.
According to the media giant, the Republican leader's staunch supporters used chemical irritants on police before breaking into the building. Pro-Trump protests had at the same time emerged across some US states with "Stop the Steal" signs.
Briefly.co.za earlier reported that Trump's supporters had stormed the US congress, forcing police to draw their guns.
US Capitol police officers were forced to draw their guns in a chaotic scene last witnessed in 1812 in the powerful country's history. Re-elected House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, said the storming by Trump's supporters was an act of shame against the US democracy.
"Today’s shameful assault on our democracy — anointed at the highest level of government — must not deter us from our responsibility to the Constitution. Tonight, we will move forward with the certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s election," she said in a statement.
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Source: Briefly News
Kelly Lippke (Senior Editor) Kelly Lippke is a copy editor/proofreader who started her career at the Northern-Natal Courier with a BA in Communication Science/Psychology (Unisa, 2007). Kelly has worked for several Caxton publications, including the Highway Mail and Northglen News. Kelly’s unique editing perspective stems from an additional major in Linguistics. Kelly joined Briefly News in 2018 and she has 14 years of experience. Kelly has also passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at kelly.lippke@briefly.co.za.
Reeshni Chetty Reeshni Chetty is a senior current affairs reporter. The Damelin journalism and media studies graduate was top of her class with 16 distinctions and she boasts experience in radio, print and digital media. When Reeshni is not rushing to bring you the most important and breaking news in current affairs, she's raising awareness around mental health. Reeshni has a passion for breaking the stigma surrounding mental health issues.
