Georgia runoffs LIVE – US senate election results and Electoral College latest as 1,000s of pro-Trump protesters hit DC

IT'S A massive day for American politics, with three major events going on at the same time.

Later today Congress will validate the Electoral College votes, formally declaring Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as the incoming president and vice president of the US.

That declaration could be interrupted by pro-Trump members of Congress in a final futile attempt to overturn the election results in Trump's favour.

And thousands of Trump supporters have descended on Washington DC, clashing with cops overnight and planning amassive 'Stop the Steal' MAGA protest that will continue throughout the day.

While all that's going on, we're also getting the results of the crunch Georgia runoff race which will decide who controls the Senate – an issue that will have a massive impact on American politics for the next two years.

Follow all the latest developments via our live blog below...

• Dan Keane3 minutes ago

  CAN PENCE OVERTURN TRUMP'S ELECTION LOSS?

  Donald Trump has been ramping up pressure on Vice President Pence to overturn his November election loss in Congress.

  The President reportedly believes that Pence has the power to unilaterally throw out electoral votes – but there is nothing in the Constitution that affords him this power.

  Rather, Mr Pence's role in Congress will be largely ceremonial.

  The 12th amendment states: "The president of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates, and the votes shall then be counted."

  It has been reported that Pence could instead, during the course of today's debate, infer that the election was fraudulent in a bid to appease the President and his supporters.

• Dan Keane12 minutes ago

  WHO IS RAPHAEL WARNOCK?

  Raphael Warnock has won the first of Georgia's state run offs, paving a way for the Democrats to take control of the Senate.

  Born in Savannah, GA, The pastor has spent the past 15 years leading the Atlanta church where Martin Luther King Jr. once preached.

  He came to prominence as a leader in the campaign to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, passed in 2010.

  Warnock decided to contest the seat, held by Republican Kelly Loefler, in January 2020 – and was endorsed by Chuck Schumer, Bernie Sanders and Cory Booker.

  He will become the first African-American Democrat in history to represent a former Confederate state in the Senate.

• Dan Keane26 minutes ago

  DC PROTESTS: A RECAP

  Washington DC was flooded with Trump supporters last night, who gathered in Freedom Plaza to protest against the electoral college's certification of November's election result.

  Police struggled to contain a huge crowd, including members of the far-right Proud Boys, who pushed cops and shouted 'f*** Antifa!'

  The speakers at the rally included former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn, whom the president pardoned after he was twice convicted of lying to the FBI in special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.

  Trump earlier tweeted his support for the protesters, writing: "Washington is being inundated with people who don't want to see an election victory stolen by emboldened Radical Left Democrats.

  "Our Country has had enough, they wont take it anymore! We hear you (and love you) from the Oval Office. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"

  

• John Hall38 minutes ago

  When is Inauguration Day?

  Inauguration day is January 20, 2021, the day President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will be sworn into office.

• John Hall37 minutes ago

  Will the Georgia runoff elections play a role for January 6, 2021?

  The two runoff elections in Georgia will play a key role to determine which party will hold the majority seat in the Senate.

  Republicans and Democrats are making their final push before the crucial Georgia US Senate runoff, which will be announced on January 5.

  Incumbent GOP Senate member David Perdue, who was elected to a six-year Senate term after winning election in 2014, is in a tight race against Democrat Jon Ossoff.

• John Hall40 minutes ago

  CONTINUED

  "My No.1 goal is to fix a badly flawed American election system that too easily permits voter fraud and election theft," Brooks told the outlet.

  "A possible bonus from achieving that goal is that Donald Trump only count lawful votes by eligible American citizens and exclude all illegal votes."

  Contrary to President Trump's baseless claims of a "rigged election," the Justice Department has concluded that it has found no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election.

• John Hall40 minutes ago
  

  Who is U.S. Representative Mo Brooks and what did he say about the election?

  Morris "Mo" Brooks, is an American politician who serves as the US Representative for Alabama's 5th congressional district.

  According to the New York Times, Brooks is leading other Trump-supporting members of Congress in a long-shot effort to reverse President-elect Biden's victory.

  Brooks is planning to challenge the results when Congress assembles to count the Electoral College's votes on January 6, reports claim.

• John Hall41 minutes ago
  

  What will happen today?

  On January 6, 2021, Congress will formally validate the Electoral College votes.

  The president of the Senate, current Vice President Mike Pence, will preside over the count and will declare who has been elected president and vice president of the United States.

  As is written in the US Code of Law, "Congress shall be in a session on the sixth day of January succeeding every meeting of the electors.

  "The Senate and House of Representative shall meet in the Hall of the House of Representatives at the hour of 1 o'clock in the afternoon on that day, and the President of the Senate shall be their presiding officer," the law reads.

  However, on that day, Republican Mo Brooks is planning on challenging the results, according to reports.

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