Congress finalizes Biden's win after riot disrupts Capitol

A big group of senators from both sides of the political aisle left the secure spaces of the Capitol grounds, and Sen. John Hoeven told CNN they are working “on an expedited process” to consider objections to state vote counts. It hasn’t been finalized yet, he said.

CNN asked Sen. Mitt Romney what his message is to the country, and he said, “Come together with a new president.”

Asked about the next steps, Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham said they are to “finish the constitutional work of confirming Biden and Harris.”

Sen. Josh Hawley would not answer when asked if he would still object to Pennsylvania's electoral votes, and Sen. Roger Marshall would not answer if he still planned to object to Georgia and Pennsylvania's presidential election votes.

Former President Bill Clinton denounced the violence at the US Capitol, saying in a statement “Today we faced an unprecedented assault on our Capitol, our Constitution, and our country.”

"The assault was fueled by more than four years of poison politics spreading deliberate misinformation, sowing distrust in our system, and pitting Americans against one another. The match was lit by Donald Trump and his most ardent enablers, including many in Congress, to overturn the results of an election he lost," Clinton said.

He went on to say that the peaceful transfer of power must be completed.

Vice President Mike Pence has returned to the Senate, his press secretary tweeted Wednesday evening.

"Vice President Mike Pence has returned to the Senate. He never left the Capitol. @VP was in regular contact w/ House & Senate leadership, Cap Police, DOJ, & DoD to facilitate efforts to secure the Capitol & reconvene Congress. And now we will finish the People’s business," his press secretary said.

The US Secret Service wanted Pence to leave the Capitol complex, and everything was in place, but Pence wanted to remain on site, a source familiar said.

The source says Pence's Secret Service detail remained with him through the entire ordeal. 

A separate source said regarding the resumption of tonight's joint session of Congress, “he’s going to do his duty.” 

Democratic Rep. Adam Smith said he quickly realized that extremism in the US is the true threat, as he learned the US Capitol building, which he was in, was being stormed by a violent pro-Trump mob.

"What was going through my mind is… extremism is an enormous problem in this country, and Donald Trump is just throwing matches all over the powder kegs," he said, speaking with CNN's Erin Burnett this evening. 

"The rest of the country that enabled him is what we really need to work to fix," continued Smith, who is the the chairman of the Armed Services Committee. "You need to understand the dangers of extremism. We have gotten to the point we don't understand rule of law matters."

"It isn't that you get your way all the time and if you don't get your way you have to fight until you do." he continued. "…You play by the rules and when it's over, you accept the outcome and you govern this country."

"We need to push back on the extremism," he concluded.

But Smith also reserved harsh words for President Trump.

"Donald Trump, is a narcissistic psychopath, let's just be clear about that," said the congressman. "He stumbled his way into the presidency. What he believes from a policy standpoint is irrelevant. He is an egotist, cares about himself, period."

Stephanie Grisham, the former White House communications director and press secretary and current chief of staff for first lady Melania Trump, submitted her resignation Wednesday afternoon, a White House official tells CNN.

Grisham’s resignation is effective immediately. The official says Grisham’s decision was motivated by today’s violent protests carried out by supporters of President Trump.

Grisham was one of the longest-serving Trump administration officials, having begun her tenure working for then-candidate Donald Trump in 2015 as a press wrangler on the campaign trail.

Grisham entered the White House as deputy press secretary under Sean Spicer, but in March 2017, she was identified by Melania Trump as someone who could be helpful to her scant East Wing staff. Trump hired Grisham away from her husband’s West Wing to become her East Wing communications director. Grisham quickly became the first lady’s most prominent staffer, acting as defender, enforcer and, often, protector. 

CNN's Kate Bennett reports:

House Republican Whip Steve Scalise outlined how he expects the Electoral College vote count will move forward tonight in a message to GOP members.

The House will resume its debate on the objection to Arizona's electoral votes for President-elect Joe Biden, according to Scalise. Republicans were debating the objection before rioters stormed the US Capitol and prompted the proceedings to halt.

Here's more from Scalise:

Twitter said Wednesday it has locked President Trump’s account for 12 hours, and warned for the first time that it may suspend him permanently.

The temporary lock reflects Trump’s violation of the Twitter rules, the company said.

Twitter added that “future violations… will result in permanent suspension of the @realDonaldTrump account.”

The announcement marks a major escalation by Twitter against Trump’s account and responds to calls by civil rights groups for Trump to be banned from the platform.

The House and Senate chambers are being cleaned so the full Senate and House can resume proceedings as soon as the 8 p.m. hour, Hill sources said.

It’s unclear if the House and Senate plan to go through the night or how long the proceedings will go.

In a letter to colleagues this evening, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said leaders of Congress have decided to resume the joint session tonight once the Capitol is "cleared for use."

The House clerk is now returning to the chamber, according to pool reports. 

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Republican from Washington state, will reverse her position on challenging the presidential election results.

McMorris Rodgers added: "I have decided I will vote to uphold the Electoral College results and I encourage Donald Trump to condemn and put an end to this madness.”

Read the statement: