Senator Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat from Illinois, told CBS News that a Senate staffer managed to secure the wooden chests containing the Electoral College certificates before senators were evacuated from the Senate chamber.
“The good news is that one of the staff members was very, very quick-thinking, and was able to grab and secure the Electoral College ballots and bring them with her to this location,” Duckworth said in a phone interview. “So we have them with us, and we will be able to proceed as long as Mitch McConnell calls us back into session.”
Sen. Tammy Duckworth says that a staffer secured the electoral college ballots and brought them with her when lawmakers and staffers were moved to a secure location in the U.S. Capitol. pic.twitter.com/b4W4UFINjM— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) January 6, 2021
Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon tweeted a photo of the chests from the secure location where senators are being held:
Electoral college ballots rescued from the Senate floor. If our capable floor staff hadn’t grabbed them, they would have been burned by the mob. pic.twitter.com/2JCauUIlvg— Senator Jeff Merkley (@SenJeffMerkley) January 6, 2021
