SOURCES: BBC News and CNN
US President-Elect, Joe Biden has described yesterday’s events at the Capital Building one of "darkest days" in US history, blaming President Trump for stoking violence and using a mob to silence the voices of American voters.
He also observed that police treated Black Lives Matter protesters "very differently".
A growing number of White House officials have resigned posts after armed supporters of President Trump stormed the Capitol building, forcing a lockdown.
Authorities confirm that a woman was shot dead by police and three others died of "medical emergencies". DC police also report that some 68 people were arrested, with 41 of these detained on Capitol grounds. Several of them have appeared in court, today.
Denouncing the actions of the protesters, president-elect Joe Biden said that yesterday, after the chaos started at the Capitol, his granddaughter texted him a photo of police in full military gear lining the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during a Black Lives Matter protest.
"No one can tell me that if it had been a group of Black Lives Matter protesting yesterday there wouldn't — they wouldn't have been treated very, very differently than the mob of thugs that stormed the Capitol," he said.
He continued: "We all know that is true, and it is unacceptable. Totally unacceptable."
Biden to his Justice team: "Your loyalty is not to me"
From CNN's Maureen Chowdhury
President-elect Joe Biden said he would work to restore the "honor, integrity, independence" of the US Department of Justice that's been so "badly damaged" by President Trump, during his announcement of his Justice Department appointments and nominations, including Merrick Garland for attorney general.
"I want to be clear to those who lead this department who you will serve. You won't work for me. You are not the president or the vice president's lawyer. Your loyalty is not to me," Biden said.
"It's to the law, the Constitution, the people of this nation, to guarantee justice," he said.
Pelosi: "My phone is exploding with 'impeach, impeach, impeach'"
From CNN's Clare Foran, Manu Raju and Daniella Diaz
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi holds her weekly press conference at the US Capitol on January 7 in Washington, DC. Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called President Trump “a very dangerous person who should not continue in office,” adding, “this is urgent. This is emergency of the highest magnitude,” when asked at her news conference if she would encourage Cabinet members not to resign so that they can invoke the 25th Amendment."
Asked how long she would wait to see if the 25th Amendment would be invoked before potentially pursing impeachment, Pelosi said, “While there’s only 13 days left, any day can be a horror show for America."
Pelosi also described the interest she is receiving from members to move forward with impeachment.
“My members are very much interested. My phone is exploding with ‘impeach, impeach, impeach,'" she said, adding, “I don’t have immediate plans. We haven’t even been to sleep since the folly of the Republicans deciding we should go until four in the morning for no purpose whatsoever except to be enablers of the President’s sedition.”
Asked about how long she would give Vice President Mike Pence to take action Pelosi said: “I don’t know how quickly he might respond, we’ll see. That could be quick.” She added, "I don't think that it'll take long to get an answer from the Vice President. It will either be yes or it will be no.”
As she discussed members of the Cabinet, Pelosi also said that the acting Secretary of Defense “has to answer for where the national guard was yesterday.”
“Ask each member of the Cabinet: Do they stand by these actions? Are they ready to say in the next 13 days this dangerous man can do further harm to our country, an assault on our democracy,” Pelosi said.