Speaking after Vice President Mike Pence, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said, "the United States Senate will not be intimidated."

"We will not be kept out of this chamber by thugs, mobs, or threats. We will not bow to lawlessness or intimidation. We are back at our posts. We will discharge our duty under the Constitution and for our nation, and we are going to do it tonight," he said.

While McConnell condemned the violence, he also seemed to downplay the threat at the Capitol Wednesday, saying, "the United States and the United States Congress have faced down much greater threats than the unhinged crowd we saw today."

"We will certify the winner of the 2020 presidential election. Criminal behavior will never dominate the United States Congress," McConnell added. "This institution is resilient. Our democratic republic is strong. The American people deserve nothing less."

Vice President Mike Pence opened the joint session shortly after 8 p.m. with a brief statement after hours of chaos and riots ravaged the U.S. Capitol complex.

"The Senate will come to order," Pence began. "Today was a dark day in the history of the United States Capitol. But thanks to the swift efforts of U.S. Capitol Police, federal, state, and local law enforcement, the violence was quelled."

"The Capitol is secured, and the people’s work continues. We condemn the violence that took place here in the strongest possible terms," he continued. "We grieve the loss of life in these hallowed halls, as well as the injuries suffered by those who defended our Capitol today. And we will always be grateful to the men and women who stayed at their posts to defend this historic place," he said.

"To those who wreaked havoc in our Capitol today, you did not win. Violence never wins. Freedom wins, and this is still the people's house. And as we reconvene in this chamber, the world will again witness the resilience and strength of our democracy," he continued. "For even in the wake of unprecedented violence and vandalism at this Capitol, the elected representatives of the people of the United States have assembled again, on the very same day, to support and defend the Constitution of the United States."

"Let's get back to work," he added to applause.

Stephanie Grisham, Melania Trump's chief of staff and the former White House press secretary has resigned in the wake of violent protests in Washington Wednesday.

“It has been an honor to serve the country in the White House. I am very proud to have been a part of Mrs. Trump’s mission to help children everywhere, and proud of the many accomplishments of this Administration," Grisham told ABC News in a statement.

-ABC News' John Santucci

In a "Dear Colleague" letter Wednesday evening, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the breach of the U.S. Capitol "a shameful assault was made on our democracy" but said it wouldn't deter lawmakers from carrying out their duties.

"To that end, in consultation with Leader Hoyer and Whip Clyburn and after calls to the Pentagon, the Justice Department and the Vice President, we have decided we should proceed tonight at the Capitol once it is cleared for use," she wrote.

"We also knew that we would be a part of history in a positive way, today, despite ill-founded objections to the Electoral College vote. We now will be part of history, as such a shameful picture of our country was put out to the world, instigated at the highest level," Pelosi continued.

"Members and staff should remain on the Capitol complex until they are notified by the United States Capitol Police. I look forward to seeing you later this evening, during this time of great sadness," she said.

-ABC News' Mary Bruce

Georgia election official Gabriel Sterling, a Republican, at a press conference on what he called "anti-disinformation Monday," ran through major voter conspiracies pushed by Trump, his allies and far-right media outlets and debunked them one-by-one in an effort to restore faith in Georgia's election system.

"The reason I'm having to stand here today is because there are people in positions of authority and respect who have said their vote didn't count and it's not true," Sterling said, stressing to Georgians that their votes count ahead of critical runoffs in the state which will determine the balance of power in the U.S. Senate.

"It's Whac-A-Mole again. It is Groundhog Day again. I'm going to talk about the things I've talked about repeatedly for two months, but I'm going to do it for one last time," Sterling said, adding he "screamed" at the radio upon hearing audio of the phone call between Trump and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger because theories Trump questioned have already been "thoroughly debunked."

For example, Sterling, responding to those who claim there were roughly 2,500 people who voted without being registered, said, "Let's just be clear about this: you can't do it!" He said, "So that number is zero," going on to debunk other theories.

Asked if he believes, as some have said, that Trump's phone call was an attack on democracy, Sterling said he'd leave others to make that decision before adding he felt it was "out of place."

"I found it to be something that was not normal -- out of place -- and nobody I know who would be president would do something like that to a secretary of state," Sterling said.

Asked about Raffenperger's desire to have the phone call recorded and whether he was concerned about anything improper being said or needing to release it later, Sterling said it was recorded "out of an abundance of caution"

"I think given the environment we're in right now, the political situation that we're in, the history of the president, knowing that he sometimes doesn't necessarily characterize things as they might have actually occurred, it was out of abundance of caution," Sterling said.

"I'm sure the president's side may have recorded it, too. They may have been the ones who leaked part of that, too," he added.