WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — From violent riots at the Capitol building to the official certification of the 2020 presidential election results and Democrats getting ready to take control of the White House as well as both houses of Congress, it’s been a busy and tense week on Capitol Hill.
One of Georgia’s newest senators, whose win helped flip control of the Senate back to the Democrats, weighed in on what happened in Washington this week and said he’s ready to get to work in his new role.
“My whole life has been committed to service,” Senator-elect Raphael Warnock (D-GA) said. “Get people the relief they need, starting with the $2,000 stimulus relief, and then respond to the very urgent needs of Georgian families.”
Warnock defeated incumbent Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler to become the first Black senator from Georgia. Loeffler conceded the race on Thursday night.
“Unfortunately we came up slightly short in the runoff election,” Loeffler said.
David Perdue, Georgia’s other incumbent Republican senator, conceded his runoff election to Democrat Jon Ossoff Friday. Ossoff was named the projected winner in that race on Wednesday, shortly after Warnock won.
The two Democrats’ victory celebrations were cut short by the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol Wednesday, when an angry mob of pro-Trump supporters stormed the building to disrupt the confirmation of the 2020 election results.
Warnock said the lawmakers that objected to the results played a role in the riots.
“We have politicians who are so focused on the next election that they’re not thinking about the next generation,” Warnock said.
Despite President Donald Trump having less than two weeks left in office, several members of both parties are calling for his removal by impeachment or the 25th Amendment.
Before having his Twitter account suspended permanently Friday night, Trump tweeted to say he will not be attending the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. His decision is something Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida disagreed with.
“I plan to attend and believe it is an important tradition that demonstrates the peaceful transfer of power to our people and to the world,” Scott said in a statement.
In the statement, the Florida senator urged President Trump to reconsider his decision.
But after what happened this week, Biden said he’s glad Trump won’t be coming.
“One of the few things he and I have ever agreed on – him not showing up,” the president-elect said.
Biden did say Vice President Mike Pence is welcome and that he would “be honored to have him there.”