Amid the US Capitol siege, American democracy showed its strength and resilience

Even in the face of such unprecedented unrest within the very heart of America’s democracy, its elected representatives resolved to fulfil their constitutional duties and affirm the will of the people

Chi Wang

Published: 1:30am, 11 Jan 2021

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I had the great privilege of spending over 47 years of my career at the US Library of Congress, a research centre for members of Congress. These decades made me intimately familiar with the Capitol complex and the dedicated public servants who made its work possible, from Congressional staffers to the police officers and the Congress members themselves.

Having grown up in China, I respected the sacred purpose of the Capitol and the thousands of people throughout history who have acted as conduits of representative democracy. I thus watched in horror and disgust on Wednesday as this historic institution was desecrated by an angry mob in the middle of its constitutionally mandated work to certify the presidential election results.

This is far from the first time violence has struck the Capitol. In 1814, British forces ransacked and burned parts of the building. President Andrew Jackson survived an assassination attempt after an assailant attempted to shoot him inside the Capitol’s rotunda.

In 1856, senator Charles Sumner was savagely beaten with a cane on the Senate floor following an impassioned debate about slavery. Bombs exploded in the Capitol in 1915, 1971 and 1983; fortunately, no one was injured in these attacks. In 1954, four Puerto Rican nationalists shot and wounded five members of Congress from the House gallery.

The Capitol was evacuated during the September 11 terrorists attacks. I was in my office at the Library of Congress that day when two Capitol police officers rushed inside and helped me evacuate. Wednesday’s events are another sad addition to the Capitol’s history.

05:52

Trump supporters storm US Capitol, interrupting Congress’ certification of Biden’s victory

The day began with a joint session of Congress convening to count the electoral votes from November’s presidential election and formally declare a winner. This is the last step in the American electoral process before the presidential inauguration and is typically a dull affair.

The House and Senate convene for a joint session to count electoral votes submitted by each of the 50 states. The vice-president then certifies the winner. But there has scarcely been a dull day in Trump’s presidency, and Wednesday was no different.

The president, clinging without evidence to the belief that the election was “stolen” from him, had for weeks urged Congressional Republicans to reject the electoral votes that named Joe Biden the winner. He also pressured Mike Pence, who as vice-president serves as head of the Senate, to reject the electoral count.

Some Republicans were willing to heed the president’s call to object to certain electoral votes. But critically, and in words representative of the very best of what American democracy expects, two of the president’s key allies – Pence and Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell – rejected these calls.

00:56

US Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell finally acknowledges Biden and Harris’ election victory

At the same time as the tallying of Electoral College votes was unfolding in Congress, the president spoke to a massive crowd of his supporters blocks away. After vowing to never concede, Trump encouraged his supporters to go to the Capitol and “stop the steal”.

The crowd heeded his words and stormed the Capitol. While Pence was escorted to safety, Congress members and staffers were barricaded inside the House chamber and in offices throughout the complex.

US defenders of democracy have much work to do at home

Capitol police attempting to keep the intruders at bay were overwhelmed. Tear gas was deployed in the rotunda. Inside the House chamber, members donned gas masks as police barricaded the doors and drew their guns, inches away from angry intruders attempting to break into the chamber.

A woman was shot and later died. Three others died from unspecified medical emergencies and a Capitol police officer died later from injuries suffered during the unrest.

About four hours after the attack began, police and the National Guard were able to clear the building.

04:50

US Capitol clean-up begins after building stormed by Trump supporters

While Trump had belittled Pence earlier in the day for lacking the “courage” to reject the election’s results, the vice-president himself showed considerable courage throughout the day.

He not only denied Trump’s wishes for him to violate the constitution, but also refused to leave the Capitol complex even during the peak of the unrest, by coordinating the deployment of National Guard forces with the Pentagon, and by deciding alongside Congressional leadership to finish certifying the election after the building had been cleared.

Pence expected to attend Biden’s inauguration

Congress reconvened around 8pm and worked throughout the night, finally certifying the election at close to 4am. While some Republicans still objected to certain electoral votes, the vast majority voted with integrity to certify the results of the states. In stirring speeches, they also spoke out against the violence that marred the halls earlier in the day.

The world watched as these events unfolded. America’s allies were horrified, its adversaries smug. There is plenty for the US to be ashamed and angry about, yet I firmly believe that within Wednesday’s events, there is also plenty for us to be proud of.

03:15

World shocked by assault on the US Capitol by radical pro-Trump supporters in Washington

Even in the face of such unprecedented unrest within the very heart of America’s democracy, its elected representatives resolved to fulfil their constitutional duties and affirm the will of the people.

Trump has not yet apologised for his role in fomenting the insurrection, but stated that there will be a peaceful transition of power on January 20. I hope he keeps to his word and his supporters refrain from further violence in the lead up to the inauguration.

Biden’s task of unifying and healing the country after four incredibly divisive years seemed daunting in November and appears nearly insurmountable today. Yet, amid all the chaos that unfolded at the Capitol, we can also find evidence of the resilience of American democracy. The American democratic experiment has endured for over two centuries despite repeated existential threats, both internal and external.

It will not be easy, but I have every expectation that it will overcome this challenge as well. Wednesday’s events will never be forgotten and will stand as an aberration, but will also serve as a reminder of the fortitude of the nation and its democracy.

Chi Wang, a former head of the Chinese section of the US Library of Congress, is president of the US-China Policy Foundation