Under the shadow of the Jan. 6, 2021 riot, Congress certifies the 2024 election : NPR

Congress convened Monday in the midst of a snowstorm to certify President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory in a smooth and orderly process, but a crowd of Trump supporters breached security at the Capitol. It was a stark contrast to four years ago when they stormed the Capitol. To overturn the 2020 election results.

Vice President Harris, who lost the presidential election to Trump, oversaw the process of certifying Trump’s victory and announced the final tally of 312 to 226.

Unlike four years ago, there were no objections to the certification of any state’s election certificate during the hour-long joint session of Congress, typically by lawmakers fulfilling their constitutional duty to officially oversee the counting of electoral votes. Back to mundane bureaucratic processes. .

Some Democrats objected to Mr. Trump’s victory in the 2016 election, but none did so on Monday.

Four tellers, two from each chamber, took turns announcing that each state’s electoral certificate was “formally authentic and authentic.”

After each result was read, members of both aisles politely applauded. Vice President-elect J.D. Vance sat in the front row for his election certification and stood and applauded as the results in his home state of Ohio were read in his favor.

There was a standing ovation after Harris finished her certification, the only time members on both sides of the aisle clapped together.

After the certification, Harris told reporters at the Capitol that the ceremony “should be the norm and should be accepted as a given by the American people. It’s the most important part of our democracy. “This is one of the pillars, and it is the realization of peaceful peace.” transfer of power. ”

“I have accomplished what I have done throughout my career,” she said, adding that she had fulfilled her constitutional duties.

“I strongly believe that American democracy is only as strong as our will to fight for it.”

With snow blanketing Washington, D.C., lawmakers met in a joint session of Congress to certify the 2024 election. Security was beefed up at Congress as Congress met to certify the presidential election for the first time since supporters of President-elect Donald Trump stormed the Capitol in 2021 to disrupt the certification. .

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In the shadow of 2021

“We are fighting like hell, and if we don’t fight to the death, we won’t have a country anymore,” Trump told supporters at a rally on the Ellipse outside the White House in 2021, hours before the certification process began. ” he said. It is set to start.

President Trump asked Vice President Mike Pence not to certify the electoral vote in favor of Joe Biden. After Mr. Pence vowed not to intervene, some demonstrators who marched to the Capitol after Mr. Trump’s speech chanted, “Hang Mike Pence.”

Pence on Monday praised the “peaceful transfer of power.” on social mediacongratulated Trump and Vance and praised lawmakers of both parties for the smooth process. He also praised Harris, saying, “Vice President Harris deserves particular praise for presiding over the certification of the presidential election she lost.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson, who prepared a legal brief supporting efforts to challenge the 2021 at-large results, sat next to Harris on the podium Monday.

Ahead of the ceremony, many Democratic lawmakers issued statements expressing concern about President Trump’s actions in 2021 and vowing the process would proceed without disruption. Others argued that Republicans were essentially trying to rewrite the history of the day.

Republicans have done little to acknowledge the violence and riots that followed the incident, which delayed the 2021 certification until the early morning hours of January 7, 2021.

Certification: 2021 and 2025

In the wake of the 2021 attacks, Congress passed election reform measures that clarified the certification process.

The 2024 election is the first presidential election to be certified under the new law, the Electoral Count Reform Act (ECRA).

Previously, one member of the House of Representatives and one senator could object to a state’s electoral count. This could have led to days of debate without a clear resolution if both houses disagreed on their respective negative votes.

Even the original law, passed in 1887, was not clear about what issues qualified as challenges.

ECRA raised the bar for contesting election results (which have already been certified by each state). Under the new law, a challenge will only be valid if it is signed by one-fifth of each parliament.

The law significantly narrows the reasons why lawmakers can object to results and makes clear that partisan differences over a particular state’s election policies are not a valid reason to object to a state’s results.

The Department of Justice announced Monday that it has charged 1,583 people with crimes in federal court in connection with the January 6, 2021 incident. The charges include assaulting more than 140 Capitol and District of Columbia police officers and damaging the Capitol. government property. The FBI is also continuing to search for other individuals wanted on violent assault charges that day.

Separately, lawyers for convicted Proud Boys leader Henry “Enrique” Tarrio renewed their request for clemency from President Trump on Monday. Tarrio is currently serving a 22-year prison sentence for seditious conspiracy in the attack.

During his incarceration, Tarrio was held in a special detention facility with limited interaction with other prisoners and limited movement outside his cell. His lawyer told NPR that this kind of isolation can lead to serious mental health issues.

The appeal comes as President Trump has said he wants to pardon at least some defendants convicted of the Capitol riot.

President Trump’s inauguration will be held on January 20th on the west front of the US Capitol.

NPR’s Miles Parks and Carrie Johnson contributed to this article.