By Aiyeku Timothy
Pro-Trump protesters clashed with police in Washington, D.C. Tuesday night, as US Congress convene on Wednesday for a joint session over the Electoral College vote won by Joe Biden.
A video showed moments of pushing and shoving between crowds of protesters and police near Black Lives Matter Plaza outside the White House.
Hundreds of supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the nation’s capital Tuesday to give their support to Trump with the hope that the Wednesday sitting will be in their favour.
Meanwhile, the president was to personally address his supporters in Washington on Wednesday during a rally on the Ellipse, just south of the White House.
Both local officials and law enforcement suspected violent street clashes and were available to avert any of those cases before the clash.
“While we do not discuss the means, methods, or specific resources used to carry out our protective responsibilities, the United States Capitol Police has comprehensive security plans in place and we continuously monitor and assess new and emerging threats, with the overall goal of keeping those within the Capitol Complex safe and secure,” the US Capitol Police said in a statement on December 31.
Meanwhile, the protests coincide with Wednesday’s congressional vote expected to certify the Electoral College results, which Trump lost by an absolute majority to Joe Biden.
The Electoral College count on Capitol Hill is supposed to be a ceremonial process led by the vice president that would certify Biden’s victory, but there are fears that some Republican members of the Senate and the House will object to the tabulation after failing to do that by using the court.
The incident has been predicted by local and federal law enforcement agencies and they had made preparations for it,
