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White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Wednesday afternoon that the National Guard was being deployed “along with other federal protective services.”

The lockdowns and evacuations came as both chambers of Congress debated Republicans’ objections to Arizona’s electoral results. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., at the start of the debate, forcefully rebuked efforts from members of his own party to overturn Biden’s win.

“The voters have spoken,” McConnell said on the Senate floor. “If we overrule them, we damage our republic forever.”

Just before the proceedings began, Trump had hosted a rally outside the White House where he repeatedly, and falsely, claimed the election had been stolen from him. The president also pressured Pence to reject states’ slates of electors.

McConnell in his remarks explicitly rejected claims that Trump’s loss to Biden was due to massive fraud, and called out his colleagues in Congress who have vowed to lodge objections to the electoral results.

“Nothing before us proves illegality anywhere near the massive scale, the massive scale that would have tipped the entire election,” McConnell said. “If this election were overturned by mere allegations from the losing side, our democracy would enter a death spiral. We would never see the whole nation accept an election again.”

“It would be unfair and wrong to disenfranchise American voters and overrule the courts and the states on this extraordinarily thin basis. And I will not pretend such a vote would be a harmless protest gesture while relying on others to do the right thing,” McConnell said. 

“I will vote to respect the people’s decision and defend our system of government as we know it.”

Those comments came as a joint session of Congress convened with the intention of counting and confirming the results of the Electoral College. Republicans were expected to object to other states as their electoral vote tallies are announced.

Shortly before the joint session of Congress began at 1 p.m. ET, Pence rejected Trump’s call for the vice president to unilaterally overturn the Electoral College vote, saying in a letter that he did not believe he had the authority to do so.

In a tweet Wednesday afternoon, Trump lashed out at Pence, saying that he “didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution.”

But as the chaos escalated, Trump tweeted a follow-up message: “Please support our Capitol Police and Law Enforcement. They are truly on the side of our Country. Stay peaceful!”

And later, he asked “for everyone at the U.S. Capitol to remain peaceful.”

With Democrat Biden’s 306 electoral votes — 36 more than needed — the process normally would be a formality. But this year, it may take days because of the doomed effort by Trump to overturn his defeat.