Congress is counting electoral votes today to finalize Trump's victory, live updates

CBS News congressional correspondent Nicole Killion has this report on what to expect when Congress convenes this afternoon:

Authorities have stepped up security around the Capitol as Congress prepares to count the Electoral College votes on Monday, amid several high-profile incidents on Capitol Hill this month.

Law enforcement agencies are coordinating on several stringent security measures. Temporary fencing has been erected around the perimeter of the Capitol, additional security screening for staff and media is in effect, and personnel from multiple law enforcement agencies and jurisdictions are present at the Capitol ahead of certification on Monday.

These measures come after the Department of Homeland Security earlier this year designated the electoral vote count on January 6 as a “National Special Security Event”, providing a greater level of coordination between federal agencies. Could.

Former President Jimmy Carter also will be at the Capitol beginning Tuesday, with the inauguration scheduled for later this month.

On Monday, MPs will finalize the results of the 2024 elections. Four years ago on this day, newly elected President Donald Trump gave a speech denying his defeat in 2020, after which the US Capitol was attacked. Trump has promised to pardon the rioters but has not specified whether it would be all or just some. CBS News' Scott MacFarlane has more:

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi recalls the attack on the Capitol statement On Monday he said, “Our nation watched in horror as a terrorist mob stormed the Capitol grounds and desecrated the temple of our democracy in a violent attempt to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power four years ago.”

Pelosi said, “The January 6 insurrection shook our Republic to its core – and left physical wounds and emotional trauma on members of our congressional community and across our country that endure to this day.”

Pelosi was the speaker at the time and was targeted by some rioters who were looking for her at the Capitol on January 6. Appearance on “Face the Nation” On Sunday, Pelosi said the violence “did not end that day,” accusing Trump of continuing to incite violence and linking it to an attack on her husband in 2022.

In the statement Monday, Pelosi urged Americans not to forget the “extraordinary courage of the law enforcement officers” who she said “stood in the breach to protect the Capitol, Congress, and the Constitution and stare down the insurrectionists.”

The former speaker said Jan. 6 is a reminder “that our precious democratic institutions are only as strong as the courage and commitment of those entrusted with their care,” as he came to the Capitol to preside over the certification of the election results. Appreciating her return, the former speaker said. Attack in 2021.

He said, “As we gather today beneath President Lincoln's dome to uphold our oath and peacefully ratify the will of the people, we all share the responsibility to preserve American democracy – which Lincoln called ' “Earth's last best hope.”

Trump's rival in the 2024 election, Vice President Kamala Harris, promised to “do my constitutional duty as Vice President of the United States to certify the results of the 2024 election” in a social media post Monday morning, calling it a “sacred obligation.” ” Said. ,

“The peaceful transfer of power is one of the most fundamental principles of American democracy,” Harris said during the minute. Video“Like any other principle, this is what distinguishes our system of government from monarchy or tyranny.

Four years ago, former Vice President Mike Pence presided over the certification of the election results amid a pressure campaign from Trump allies to reject the results. During the process, the Vice President reads the electoral votes aloud before lawmakers count the results of each state to confirm the President-elect's victory. A 2022 law The role of the Vice President was later described as ceremonial.

Harris concluded in the video that “As we have seen, our democracy can be fragile,” adding that it is “up to each one of us to stand up for our most cherished principles.”

“And to ensure that our government in America will always be of the people, by the people, and for the people,” the vice president said.

in one Op-ed for The Washington Post Published on Sunday evening, President Biden accused Trump and his allies of trying to rewrite history in the case of the attack on the Capitol.

“There is a relentless effort going on to rewrite – even erase – the history of that day. To tell us that we did not see what we all saw with our own eyes. Concerns about it should not be treated as any kind of To dismiss this as partisan passion that just got out of control,” Mr. Biden wrote. “It didn’t.”

The president continued: “Over time, there will be Americans who may not have witnessed the January 6 riot firsthand, but through the footage and testimony of that day, what is written in the history books, and the truth we are telling. We will learn about it. We cannot let the truth be lost for our children.”

He vowed to “make every effort to respect the peaceful transfer of power and restore the traditions we have long respected in America,” including inviting Trump to the White House on January 20 and Including attending his inauguration ceremony.

“But on this day, we cannot forget. We owe it to those who founded this nation, who fought for it, and who died for it,” Mr Biden wrote.

The issue of the violent attack on the US Capitol that disrupted the joint session four years ago will continue to loom over the proceedings as Congress meets on Monday.

but unlike January 6, 2021While then-Vice President Mike Pence faced pressure to unilaterally reject electoral votes from battleground states, Monday's joint session will be governed by a revised set of procedures designed to prevent efforts to overturn the election results. Will clarify the role of the Vice President.

“The 2020 election exposed how the president exploited ambiguities in the Electoral Count Act to sow chaos and disrupt the peaceful transfer of power,” said Holly Idelson, policy strategist at Protect Democracy, a non-partisan, nonprofit organization. May go.” “The bipartisan Election Count Reform Act of 2022 will help ensure that future changes proceed smoothly and respect the will of the voters.”

Read more about how this January 6 will be different Here,

While Congress will meet on Monday Count the Electoral College Votes And with Trump's victory confirmed in the 2024 election, the focus will be on what happens next for the nearly 1,500 people accused of storming the Capitol four years ago.

Charged as part of the largest Justice Department investigation in history, they are waiting to see if Trump makes good on his promise to pardon them or commute their sentences.

Prosecutors have charged more than 1,580 defendants with crimes related to the riot on January 6, 2021, including more than 170 people charged with using deadly or dangerous weapons, such as fire extinguishers and bear spray, against officers. There is an allegation. While most were charged with non-violent misdemeanor crimes, some were accused of conspiring to use force to protest the peaceful transfer of power. Others admitted to fighting officers and attacking members of the media.

But with Trump's pledge to pardon at least some defendants and close the investigation, many of those who breached the Capitol four years ago could see their convictions erased and records cleared.

read more Here,

Senators and House members will meet in a joint session at 1 p.m. to tally the electoral votes of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Vice President Kamala Harris will assume her role as President of the Senate.

The Vice President will read the electoral votes aloud and then Congress will count the results of each state to confirm Trump's victory. Trump won 312 Electoral College votes, far more than the 270 needed to win. Harris got 226 votes.

This process is usually a formal step before the presidential inauguration on January 20.

Read more about the process Here,