Oregon Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley tweeted that his staff carried electoral ballots from the floor of the Senate to avoid them being burned as a mob of pro-Trump rioters stormed the US Capitol building.
“If our capable floor staff hadn’t grabbed them, they would have been burned by the mob,” he tweeted.
Rioters broke through the police barricades and into the Senate chamber itself after President Trump spoke at a “Save America” rally where he said he would “never concede” and urged his supporters to march to the Capitol in protest.
Washington DC’s police chief said that the pro-Trump rioters deployed “chemical irritants” to gain access to the building.
Despite the storming of the Capitol, congressional leaders intend to finish the certification process tonight, CNN reported.
As Senators waited to get back to the floor of the chamber, they tried to convince the senators who still planned to object to the results of the election to back down.
Congressional leaders and Vice President Mike Pence have not announced when the certification will continue, but rank and file members are eager to make quick work of the task before them.
California Representative Mike Thompson tweeted that they planned to go back into session today.
He also called on the leader of the process, Mr Pence, to start 25th amendment proceedings to remove Mr Trump from office. His term ends in two weeks.
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island tweeted that he was eager to get back to work.
