DOD sends D.C. Guard to protect Capitol under siege by pro-Trump mob

The D.C. National Guard has been mobilized to provide support to law enforcement clashing with a pro-Trump mob that has stormed the Capitol.

Jonathan Hoffman, chief Pentagon spokesman, said acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller has been in contact with congressional leaders, all of whom were rushed out of the Capitol after rioters breached the building.

Multiple news outlets have confirmed that a woman was shot in the chest and is in critical condition. There were also reports that law enforcement officers were injured.

Virginia and Maryland have also deployed state and local law enforcement officers.

The attack on the Capitol happened after President Trump hosted a rally urging his supporters to oppose the certification of the presidential election, which he lost.

During a speech, Trump called on his supporters to "take back our country" and march to the Capitol.

"We're going to walk down to the Capitol," he said. "And we're gonna cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women. And we're probably not going to be cheering, so much for some of them, because you'll never take back our country with weakness, you have to show strength and you have to be strong."

After the mob breached the Capitol, Trump tweeted asking "everyone at the U.S. Capitol to remain peaceful."

President-elect Biden said today the "words of a president matter."

"At their best, the words of a president can inspire," he said. "At their worst, they can incite. Therefore, I call on President Trump to go on national television now to fulfill his oath and defend the Constitution and demand an end to this siege."