during business hours. this is an abc news special report. now reporting, chief anchor george stephanopoulos. >> good evening. welcome to our continuing coverage to a day unlike any other in american history. we were all brought up to believe it can't happen, but today it did. you see it right there, a siege of the u.s. capitol by rioters and president trump, determined to disrupt the certification of congress of the election president trump lost. it all started to unfold around 2:00 p.m. at the capitol as debates began at the capitol on objections raised by president trump to the counts starting with the state of arizona. that's the capitol rotunda right there. when the protesters were let in, they started to roam freely through the united states

capitol. members of congress barricaded themselves inside the house floor. you see it right there as protests tried to bang their way in. >> open the doors! >> agents with their firearms drawn were forced to hold back the protesters who broke down windows. there you see one protester made it to the office of house speaker nancy pelosi. on the day where joe biden's win was going to be certified by the congress. other protesters carrying a confederate flag. others in the house hall to the ceremonial desk where vice president mike pence usually sits. it went on for hours across the capitol. members of congress were brought to safe locations. the leadership brought out. the response from the president, silence at first. after rallying with the supporters earlier in the day where he encouraged them to go to the capitol. he finally told them to calm down, but also called them great patriots and perpetrated the lie

that somehow this election was stolen from him. i'm here with our entire team tonight. and david muir, world news anchor david muir, the words from president trump on twitter in that video a stark contrast to the words of president-elect biden. >> extraordinary. it's hard to process what it is we actually witnessed because we have never seen this before. and just as you point out, george, i think what we saw was this sort of split screen, this dichotomy between these two leaders in this country that we've been witnessing really for years now, particularly obviously in the campaign leading up to the election. but now in this all important moment with just a few days left of this presidency, you talk about this one-minute video that came from president trump. there was increasing pressure from republicans and democrats alike today that he had to come out and say something, to tell them this had to stop, that he didn't support it, that he condemns it, that they have to go home. and instead, it was a one-minute video where he said "i know your pain, i know you're hurt." he repeated the false claim the election was stolen from us. it was a landslide election.

obviously as we continue to report, he lost the election to joe biden by 7 million votes. and what was most striking, george, is that he did not condemn what he saw in the capitol today. he said "we love you. you're very special. it's time to go home." shortly before that, we saw the president-elect biden come before the cameras. he called on president trump to act, and he said "these are not protests. this is an insurrection" is the word he used. it made headlines immediately. he said he is sad that america has come to such a dark moment. i call on president trump to go on national tv. he said "today is a reminder that our democracy is fragile, but that we will endure." and the vice president, former vice president, president-elect joe biden getting support not only from democrats, but from republicans. we saw that statement from former president george w. bush, who used that same word, "insurrection." and he said laura and i are watching the scenes of mayhem unfolding in disbelief, dismay. it's sickening, heartbreaking. this is how election results are

disputed in a banana republic, not our democratic republic. a study in stark contrasts playing out today in the most horrific of way. >> continues to play out right now. a curfew has been put in place in washington, d.c. the national guard has been called in to the capitol. the capitol is secure now. and any moment, they're going to resume the debate on the certification. that is the scene in washington, d.c. right now. linsey davis, so many wondered at the beginning of the day, how is it possible that these protesters got so far, that they were able to breach the capitol in such an easy way and such a contrast to what we saw this summer during the black lives matter protests when you had a phalanx of armed law enforcement officials in combat gear prepared to protect the capitol. >> right. and it was hard to watch for a number of reasons, but chief among them in the black community, this has been a perspective that many people have been talked about. the idea that the rules of engagement are different for some in america, and many people remember on jun 2nd, those images that we saw of law

enforcement that were at the yu national guard had been called in advance and deployed and descended on those same steps of the capitol where we saw today the absence initially, and in many people, it was in anticipation. of course it was the george floyd and reaction to the george floyd, black lives matter what was anticipated to be a peaceful protest. and then fast forward to today, and you saw many people had talked about the watchdog groups had warned about this potential for violence for days, if not weeks. and yet, again, many people watched as the capitol police used great restraint, as they watched the images of anarchists not only breaching the capitol, but scaling the walls. and many in the black community asked today what if the protesters had been black. not so much a question as an anguished statement.

>> we saw them slowly walking up constitution avenue. it was happening in realtime. cecilia vega, david muir, we heard from president george w. bush today, one of the strongest statements, even though he did not use president trump's names at all, one of the strongest statements of condemnation we heard from him. we now heard we have a statement from president obama. >> george, we just got this statement. it just came in right now. i'm going to read you a little bit from it. he says, quote, history will rightly remember today's violence at the capitol incite by a sitting president who has continued to lie about the lawful outcome of an election as a moment of shame and dishonor for her nation. we got a statement from clinton echoing a similar statement, a statement from george w. bush today likening what he saw to the results of election, a disputed election in a banana republic. this is part of donald trump's legacy, what we are seeing on the screen right now. he's got little more than two weeks left in office, and this

chaos that we are seeing in our country will now be part of the history that he is leaving as his legacy. >> okay. let's go to the floor of the house right now where mike pence is presiding. he is in the senate. >> -- continues. we condemn the violence that took place here in the strongest possible terms. we grieve the loss of life in these hallowed halls. as well as the injuries suffered by those who defended our capitol today. and we will always be grateful to the men and women who stayed at their posts to defend this historic place. to those who wreaked havoc in our capitol today, you did not win. violence never wins. freedom wins, and this is still the people's house.

as we reconvene in this chamber, the world will again witness the resilience and strength of our democracy. for even in the wake of unprecedented violence and vandalism at this capitol, the elected representatives of the people of the united states have assembled again on the very same day to support and defend the constitution of the united states. so may god bless the loss, the injured, and the heroes forged on this day. may god bless all who serve here and those who protect this place. and may god bless the united states of america. let's get back to work. [ applause ] >> vice president mike pence presiding over the senate as

president of the senate in these ceremonies. they are now debating the objection the slate of electors from arizona. you see them getting that ovation right there. strong words of condemnation from vice president mike pence. >> mr. president, the -- >> mcconnell. >> the majority leader and the democratic leader be allowed to speak and that not count against the hours of objection raised on the objection of the state of arizona. >> is there an objection? without objection, so ordered. >> i want to say to the american people, the united states senate will not be intimidated. we will not be kept out of this chamber by thugs, mobs, or threats. we will not bow to lawlessness or intimidation.

we are back at our posts. we will discharge our duty under the constitution and for our nation. and we're going do it tonight. this afternoon, congress began the process of honoring the will of the american people and counting the electoral college votes. we fulfill this solemn duty every four years for more than two centuries. whether our nation has been at war or at peace, under all manner of threats, even during an ongoing armed rebellion and the civil war, the clockwork of our democracy has carried on. the united states and the united states congress have faced down much greater threats than the

unhinged crowd we saw today. we've never been deterred before and will be not deterred today. they tried to disrupt our democracy. they failed. they failed. they failed to attempt to obstruct the congress. this failed insurrection only underscores how crucial the task before us is for our republic. our nation was founded precisely so the free choice of the american people is what shapes our self-government and determines the destiny of our nation. not fear. not force. but the peaceful expression of the popular will. now, we assemble this afternoon to count our citizens' votes and to formalize their choice of the next president.

now we're going finish exactly what we started. we'll complete the process the right way by the book. we'll follow our precedents, our laws and our constitution to the letter. and we will certify the winner of the 2020 presidential election. criminal behavior will never dominate the united states congress. this institution is resilient. our democratic republic is strong. the american people deserve nothing less. >> democratic leader? >> we're going to hear from the

democratic leader of the senate, soon to be majority leader chuck schumer. >> mr. president, it is very, very difficult to put into words what has transpired today. i have never lived through or even imagined an experience like the one we have just witnessed in this capitol. president franklin roosevelt set aside december 7th, 1941 as a day that will live in infamy. unfortunately, we can now add january 6th, 2021 to that very short list of dates in american history that will live forever in infamy. this temple to democracy was desecrated, its windows smashed, our offices vandalized. the world saw americans' elected officials hurriedly ushered out because they were in harm's way. the house and senate floors were

places of shelter until the evacuation was ordered, leaving rioters to stalk these hallowed halls. lawmakers and our staffs, average citizens who love their country, serve it every day, feared for their lives. i understand that one woman was shot and tragically lost her life. he mourn her and feel for her friends and family. these images were projected to the world. foreign embassies cabled their home capitals to report the harrowing scenes at the very heart of our democracy. this will be a stain on our country not so easily washed away. the final terrible indelible legacy of the 45th president of the united states undoubtedly our worst. i want to be very clear.

those who performed these reprehensible acts cannot be called protesters. no. these were rioters and insurrectionists, goons and thugs, domestic terrorists. they do not represent america. they were a few thousand violent extremists who tried to take over the capitol building and attack our democracy. they must and should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, hopefully by this administration, if not, certainly by the next. they should be provided no leniency. i want to thank the many of the capitol hill police and secret service and local police who kept us safe today and worked to clear the capitol and return it to its rightful owners and its rightful purpose. i want to thank the leaders, democrat and republican, house

and senate. it was speaker pelosi, leader mcconnell, leader mccarthy and myself who came together and decided that these thugs would not succeed, that we would finish the work of our -- that our constitution requires us to complete in the very legislative chambers of the house and senate that were desecrated. but we know always belong to the people and do again tonight. but make no mistake, make no mistake, my friends, today's events did not happen spontaneously. the president who promoted conspiracy theories that motivated these thugs, the president who exhorted them to come to our nation's capitol, egged them on, he hardly ever discourages violence and more often encourages it. this president bears a great deal of the blame.

this mob was in good part president trump's doing, incited by his words, his lies, his violence in good part, his responsibility, his everlasting shame. today's events certainly, certainly would not have happened without him. now january 6 will go down as one of the darkest days in recent american history, a final warning to our nation about the consequences of a demagogic president. the people who enable him, the captive media that parrots his lies, and the people who follow him as he attempts to push america to the brink of ruin. as we reconvene tonight, let us

remember in the end, all this mob has really accomplished is to delay our work by a few hours. we will resume our responsibilities now, and we will finish our task tonight. the house and senate chambers will be restored good as new and ready for legislating in short order. the counting of the electoral votes is our sacred duty. democracy's roots in this nation are deep. they're strong, and they will not be undone, ever by a group of thugs. democracy will triumph, as it has for centuries. so to my fellow americans who were shocked and appalled by the images on their televisions today and who are worried about the future of this country, let me speak to you directly. the divisions in our country clearly run deep, but we are a

resilient, forward-looking and optimistic people, and we will begin the hard work of repairing this nation tonight because here in america, we do hard things. in america, we always overcome our challenges. yield the floor. >> mr. president, i yield two minutes to the senator from oklahoma, senator lankford. >> senator from oklahoma. >> the vice president said things more eloquently than how we say it in oklahoma. in oklahoma, we'd say something like why in god's name would someone think attacking law enforcement and occupying the united states capitol is the best way to show that you're right? why would you do that? rioters and thugs don't run the capitol. we're the united states of america.

we disagree on a lot of things, and we have a lot of spirited debate in this room, but we talk it out and we honor each other. even in our disagreements. that person, that person, that person is not my enemy. that's my fellow american. and while we disagree on things and disagree strongly at times, we do not encourage what happened today. ever. i want to join my fellow senators in saying thank you to the capitol hill police, the law enforcement, the national guard, the secret service who stood in harm's way while we were here debating, they were pushing back. and i was literally interrupted mid sentence speaking here because we were all unaware of what was happening right outside this room, because of their faithfulness, and because of what they have done.

and i want to thank them. ronald reagan once said peace is not the absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means. the peaceful people in my state in oklahoma want their questions answered, but they don't want this, what happened today. they want to do the right thing, and they also want to do it the right way. they want to honor the constitutional process, but they also want to have a debate about election security because they want to make sure it's right. which is why it's an important issue that still needs to be resolved. transparency in government just doesn't seem like a bad idea. obviously, the commission that we have asked for is not going to happen at this point, and i understand that, and we're headed towards tonight towards the certification of joe biden to be the president of the united states. and we will work together in

this body to be able to set a peaceful example in the days ahead. i yield the floor. >> democratic leader? >> senator from nevada, senator cortez. >> senator from nevada. >> mr. vice president, i know that this room is full of leaders of both parties who love this country, and many believe that for america to succeed, our politics must find common ground, and that has never been clearer than today when armed rioters stormed the u.s. capitol, emboldened by president trump's false and inflammatory rhetoric about the 2020 elections. i believe that we in this chamber have a special duty as leaders to work together to lower the temperature of our

politics, and i hope that my colleagues who would question the legitimacy of this election in arizona and all of these other states now see the dire and dangerous consequences of sowing doubt and uncertainty. i also know that as u.s. senators, we all take solemnly the oath we swear to support and defend the constitution of the united states against all enemies, foreign and domestic. at this moment in history, i can think of nothing more patriotic than renewing our faith in the charters of freedom that our founding fathers crafted for our republic, starting with the fundamental american principle in our declaration of independence that governments derive their just power from the consent of the governed. the people have spoken in this election, and our only job here today is to do what they asked.

it is not to argue election security. that's not the place for what we are doing today. our constitutional specifically reserves to the people the right to meet in their respective states and vote for the president and vice president. as a result, individual states oversee and implement the election process, not the federal government, to guard against fraud or irregularities in the process, the states are required to have robust election security measures. likewise, state legislatures have the opportunity to examine evidence of voter fraud before they certified their electoral college votes. and our courts, from district courts to the united states supreme court adjudicate legal challenges and election disputes. all of those things happened after the 2020 election. state houses and courts across the country took allegations of

voter fraud seriously and followed the constitutional process to hear challenges to this year's elections. no state found evidence of any widespread voter fraud, and neither did any court ask to review the states' findings. in arizona, republican governor doug ducey, democratic secretary of state katie hobbs, republican attorney general mark brnovich, and state supreme court chief justice robert brutinel all certified the results of the election on november 30th. and we know we have heard arizonans have been voting by mail for almost 30 years. and governor ducey has expressed confidence. in november he said we do elections here in arizona. the system is strong, and that's why i have bragged on it so much. he further stated "we have some of the strongest election laws in the country, laws that

prioritize accountability and clearly lay out our procedures for conducting, canvassing, and even contesting the results." and they are right. arizona has one of the most transparent election processes in the country with built-in accountability, starting with eternal auditing. we have heard unfounded allegations that voting machines in arizona and elsewhere somehow changed vote tallies or somehow improperly rejected ballots while claiming to accept them. these allegations all ignore the fact that arizona counties conducted ballot audits by hand to double-check the machine counts, and these audits found no widespread fraud or irregularities. maricopa county, the county where more than 60% of the state population resides, conducted a post election hand count audit in the week after the election,

which showed perfect 100% accuracy in the machine tabulations. so why would we need, my colleagues, to call for a ten-day emergency audit to be conducted by a legislative commission when it's already been done by the state of arizona? what happened to states' rights? the audit involved checking ballots for the presidential election, but also ballots for federal and state legislative elections. the audit report shows every precinct's machine -- >> this debate over the election results in arizona, which of course were certified by the republican governor, will continue for about an hour and a half now in the senate. a similar debate will be held in the house. but what we saw at the outset, of course, senator mitch mcconnell, the republican leader condemning the actions. vice president mike pence, an extraordinary statement, asking leave of the senate to address the senate in his role as president of the senate, condemning the actions as well. from his seat as president of the senate. and of course chuck schumer, the

democratic leader of the senate doing the same, placing the blame more squarely on president trump, who was not mentioned by either mitch mcconnell or the vice president, though they did condemn the actions today. i want to bring in mary bruce, our senior congressional correspondent. we also heard from james lankford of oklahoma, a distinct change in tone. he was one of the senators who joined the objections at the beginning of this process to the electoral states from the state of arizona, and perhaps other states. it was clear he said tonight that joe biden is going to be certified. it seems to be the beginning of a change of heart among many senate republicans. >> george, it certainly seems that senator lankford is backpedaling here. and it seems that he is likely to be dropping his objections here. and we are seeing a growing number of republicans. they're under tremendous pressure not just from democrats, but members of their own party. so in addition to senator lankford, we have heard also from senator marsha blackburn, senator steve daines, congresswoman cathy mcmorris

rodgers. it seems that senator ron johnson may also be dropping his objections. you have to remember how this day started. this was supposed to be we were braced for hours of political performance for president trump objecting to these results as the president has demand. it was a move that was not going to change the outcome, have any impact on the race. it was a fight that was not going to have any merit, of course, because we know that there has been no evidence of widespread fraud, but it is clear that it was a fight and a show that had dire, severe consequences. and as the consequences of this fight have become apparent to republicans on the hill, they are now changing course. and george, i have to say it is just remarkable that this is what it took for some republicans to finally come out and break with the president and admit the reality that joe biden is going to be the next president. >> a siege of the u.s. capitol. mary bruce, thank you so much. i want to bring in our white house correspondent john karl, striking the words of mike

pence. we all know he struggled for about 24 hours during the first campaign after the "access hollywood" tape came out. decided to stand by president trump, has never wavered in the more than four years since then. he has been under tremendous pressure from the president to try to do something that would not be constitutional, to overturn the elections results. he made it clear that he could not and would not do that yesterday. tonight those clear comments of condemnation from vice president pence perhaps a final declaration of independence. >> and i am told that the president has not spoken to the vice president since all this has unfolded. they have not spoken, if you can imagine that, even as the vice president was whisked out of the senate chamber and taken to a secure location, no contact to the president of the -- no contact with the president of the united states. the break began earlier today when vice president pence issued a letter or a rather lengthy letter explaining