A pipe bomb was found at the headquarters of the Republican National Committee in Washington D.C., according to an RNC official cited by The New York Times. A bomb squad managed to set it off in a controlled explosion. The Democratic National Committee was also evacuated over a currently unidentified suspicious package, a person “briefed on the matter” told the newspaper.
The reported discoveries occurred as supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the capitol building on Wednesday as Congress was in the process of certifying the electoral college results favoring President-Elect Joe Biden. The origin of the RNC pipe bomb in question is unclear, and so are the circumstances behind the DNC package, though we must note the context in which this is happening.
Though serious incidents of left-wing violence have occurred in recent years, those at the capital have been seen en masse wearing copious amounts of pro-Trump clothing and waiving pro-Trump flags.
In an update, the FBI said there were two explosive devices, and that they are investigating.
Meanwhile, the insurrection at the capitol has resulted in at least one person being shot and killed. Trump supporters have been seen in photos hanging out in politicians’ offices.
In a statement published to Twitter, Trump told supporters to go home, though he maintained his baseless claims of voter fraud and failed to walk them back.
“This was a fraudulent election, but we can’t play into the hands of these people,” he said.
Today’s events resulted in Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) to announce that she will write up articles of impeachment against Trump.