Nancy Pelosi announced in a letter to colleagues that Congress would move forward with the certification of Joe Biden’s victory tonight.

Certification resumes after Capitol takeover
As expected, Congress has reconvened tonight on the Senate floor for the electoral vote certification.

Vice-President Mike Pence opened the session.

Hundreds of supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday in a bid to overturn his election defeat, occupying the symbol of American democracy and forcing Congress to postpone a session that would have certified President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.

With drawn guns and tear gas, police evacuated lawmakers and struggled for more than three hours to clear the Capitol Building of Trump supporters, who surged through the halls and rummaged through offices in shocking scenes of chaos and mayhem.

One protester occupied the Senate dais and yelled: “Trump won that election.” Protesters overturned barricades and clashed with police as thousands descended on the Capitol grounds.

Police declared the Capitol building secure shortly after 5:30 p.m. (2230 GMT), and lawmakers planned to reconvene at 8 p.m. (0100 GMT on Thursday) to resume the election certification.

Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser ordered a citywide curfew starting at 6 p.m. (2300 GMT). National Guard troops, FBI agents and U.S. Secret Service were deployed to help overwhelmed Capitol police, and Guard troops and police pushed protesters away from the Capitol after the curfew took effect.

“This is how election results are disputed in a banana republic — not our democratic republic. I am appalled by the reckless behavior of some political leaders since the election,” former President George W. Bush, a Republican, said in a statement, without mentioning Trump by name.

Video showed the Trump supporters breaking windows and police deploying tear gas inside the building. Washington Metropolitan Police Chief  Robert Contee said members of the crowd used chemical irritants to attack police and several had been injured.

One civilian died after being shot during the mayhem, Washington police said. The FBI said it had disarmed two suspected explosive devices.