Vice President Mike Pence condemned the “Stop the Steal” protesters-turned-mob that stormed the Capitol building amid the House and the Senate debating an objection to counting Electoral College votes from the state of Arizona.
“The violence and destruction taking place at the US Capitol Must Stop and it Must Stop Now. Anyone involved must respect Law Enforcement officers and immediately leave the building,” Pence said. “Peaceful protest is the right of every American but this attack on our Capitol will not be tolerated and those involved will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
President Trump had for days falsely insisted that Pence, who presided over the joint session of Congress that convened to count Electoral College votes, had the authority to reject certain states‘ Electoral College votes unilaterally and overturn the results of the presidential election in favor of Trump rather than Biden.
Pence defied Trump in a statement released just before the joint session began on Wednesday, saying: “It is my considered judgment that my oath to support and defend the Constitution constrains me from claiming unilateral authority to determine which electoral votes should be counted and which should not.”
Trump responded by saying that he “didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution.”
The back-and-forth, as well as the protesters breaking into the Capitol, complicate Pence’s political future. He is a likely 2024 presidential candidate.
The Washington Examiner saw at least one Capitol intruder being arrested in the Capitol complex basement. One police officer had been pepper-sprayed in the face by protesters, he said.
The Capitol building went on lockdown due to the individuals outside at around the time Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar raised objections to the Electoral College results from Arizona, the first state of at least three that were expected to be contested. Intruders invaded the Capitol building after the House and Senate had split up to debate the objection.
Peaceful protest is the right of every American but this attack on our Capitol will not be tolerated and those involved will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) January 6, 2021
