Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez calls for Trump to be impeached after the president's supporters stage a violent attempted coup at the Capitol

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  • Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Wednesday evening echoed calls by Democratic lawmakers for President Donald Trump to be impeached after his supporters stormed the Capitol.

  • "Impeach," the New York Congresswoman tweeted.

  • Pro-Trump rioters breached the Capitol grounds earlier Wednesday while Congress had met to certify the 2020 presidential election.

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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Wednesday evening echoed calls by fellow Democrats for President Donald Trump to be impeached after his supporters stormed the US Capitol.

"Impeach," the New York Congresswoman tweeted after saying she'd being "barricaded in for several hours."

"I'm okay," she added. "For now, we must focus on task at hand: to preserve the integrity of our democracy, hold accountable those responsible for their attempts to subvert our nation's elections and shred our Constitution apart."

Pro-Trump rioters breached the Capitol soon after 1 p.m. ET, when Congress had met to certify President-elect Joe Biden's 2020 win. Trump, who has still not publicly acknowledged his election loss and continuously pushes false claims about the election, encouraged his supporters to come to the nation's capital on the same day and protest the electoral process.

The chaos first erupted when the president's supporters violently clashed with police, toppled barriers, and broke into the Capitol building, forcing lawmakers to abruptly halt the certification and evacuate the House and Senate chambers. Lawmakers were photographed hiding under chairs, barricading themselves, and wearing gas masks. The Capitol was secured around 5:30 p.m., according to the House's chief law enforcement officer. Senate aides managed to rescue the ballots for the certification tally, and Congress members have vowed to complete the process on Wednesday night.

Several Congress members condemned the violence, and dozens of Democrats have gone further with calls for impeachment and invoking the 25th Amendment. Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota tweeted Wednesday afternoon that she was drawing up articles of impeachment to remove Trump from office.

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