House and Senate go into separate sessions to debate Electoral College votes after Gosar objection

The U.S. House of Representatives and Senate met on Wednesday in a joint session to count the Electoral College ballots for president and vice president from November's 2020 general election.

Some objections from Republicans over the results in Pennsylvania, Arizona and Michigan were expected.

With Vice President Mike Pence presiding over the joint session, Arizona Republican Rep. Paul Gosar said he objects to the results in Arizona and that the objection is in writing and signed by Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.

The House and Senate are now going into separate sessions to debate the Electoral College votes in Arizona.

House Republican Whip Steve Scalise, a Louisiana Republican, said on the House floor that certain state governments went around their legislatures to unilaterally change election law ahead of the November general election. Scalise said those changes are the basis of objections to the Electoral College votes in states like Arizona and Pennsylvania. 

Arizona Democratic Rep. Raul Grijalva said the lawmakers objecting to Electoral College votes are creating a "very real and dangerous threat to our democracy."

"Our friends do not question the outcomes of their own elections; that is because they have no reason to, just as they have no legitimate reason to question the results of the presidential election in Arizona," he said on the House floor.

The House floor debate was interrupted after protestors who attended a pro-Trump rally breached security and entered the U.S. Capitol building.