Congress certifies Biden/Harris election win; Trump promises “orderly transition on January 20th”

J. Scott Applewhite – Pool/Getty ImagesHours after a pro-Trump mob broke into the U.S. Capitol to protest the results of the 2020 election, Congress ratified the electoral votes cast in the general election and certified the victory of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

The announcement was made by Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar at 3:39 a.m. Thursday.  Vice President Mike Pence then repeated the totals at 3:40 a.m., first for president, then for vice president.

Biden will take Trump’s place in the White House on Jan. 20.

Rep. Louie Gohmert and other House Republicans attempted to object to Wisconsin’s electoral votes but did not have a senator join the objection. Gohmert said a senator had withdrawn his objection.

Biden and Harris finished with 306 electoral votes, while Trump and Pence finished with 232.  A minimum 270 electoral votes are needed to win the White House.

In a statement tweeted by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino following the news, President Trump said: “Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th. I have always said we would continue our fight to ensure that only legal votes were counted. While this represents the end of the greatest first term in presidential history, it’s only the beginning of our fight to Make America Great Again!”

The statement marks the first time Trump has publicly acknowledged Biden’s victory and agreed to a peaceful transfer of power.

Following Wednesday’s protest and storming of the Capitol, four people are dead, according to Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department Chief Robert Contee.  One woman and two men suffered “medical emergencies” at the protests, and have subsequently died, Contee said during a press conference Wednesday night.

Another woman was shot and killed during a standoff inside the U.S. Capitol between law enforcement and pro-Trump rioters.  The unidentified woman was shot by a Capitol police officer after “multiple individuals forced entry into the Capitol building, and attempted to gain access to the house and attempted to gain access to the house, room, which was still in session,” Contee said Wednesday. She was transported to a local hospital where after all lifesaving efforts failed, and she was pronounced dead.

By Libby Cathey, Catherine Thorbecke, Morgan Winsor, and Rosa Sanchez
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

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