Trump supporters receive aid after tear gas was deployed at rioters storming the U.S. Capitol Wednesday afternoon as lawmakers inside debated the certification of the presidential election./Jerry Habraken, USA TODAY
By John D’Anna | Arizona Republic
It was a scene that one conservative congressman said reminded him of his time in Iraq and that others likened to life in a developing country. But it was happening in America, an insurrection in the U.S. Capitol. And when the history of Jan. 6, 2021, is written, Arizona’s role will be central.
Hundreds of rioters stormed the Capitol on Wednesday, breaking windows, crowding into the Rotunda, invading House and Senate chambers and even breaking into the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Washington police said one person inside the Capitol was shot and later died.
It was the first time the Capitol had been so overtaken since British forces attacked it in the War of 1812.
The riot sprang from a demonstration outside, one to protest the defeat of President Donald J. Trump, who had urged his supporters to converge on Washington to overturn the results of his Nov. 3 election loss.
Though the scene turned from loud to violent in the space of an hour, it had been stoked for months by the president and by supporters, including elected Arizonans, who had pushed to reject President-elect Joe Biden’s victory by any means necessary.
As lawmakers were removed to unknown locations and the capital city went into an emergency curfew, cries of election fraud had given way to calls for impeachment, and the end result of the move to certify the 2020 presidential election remained unclear.
“Pray for our country,” Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., tweeted in part as he marked himself safe after the evacuation order. “We are better than this. This election WILL be certified.”
A formality delayed
