Impeachment article has 200 cosponsors: US rep.

It was bad, unspeakably and unfathomably so -- utter lawlessness and disorder, carnage in the seat of American government, happening with the seeming encouragement of the outgoing president.

It could have been worse. It might still get there, even with President Trump's statement Thursday morning pledging "there will be an orderly transition on January 20th."

Until Wednesday's siege, when a mob of extremists engaged in an attempted insurrection and violent occupation of the Capitol, there seemed to be little cost to some Republicans in indulging Trump's conspiracy theories, lies and fantasies.

That fiction was exposed by Wednesday's horror. The trauma of the day saw seemingly sincere concerns about election security melt away, amid a newfound bipartisan resolve to finish final certification of Biden's victory.

Now, there's something approaching bipartisan unity in disgust for Trump's behavior through the post-election period. Denunciations and even some resignations are flowing in more steadily after Tuesday's Georgia runoff losses and Wednesday's repulsive events.

"Remember this day," Trump tweeted Wednesday. He will surely get that wish.

Even aside from impeachment and 25th Amendment talk, Trump will be an ex-president in 13 days. The fact is that getting rid of Trump is the easy part.

Cleansing the movement he commands, or getting rid of what he represents to so many Americans, is going to be something else.

-ABC News' Political Director Rick Klein

Rep. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., said he witnessed the moment a police officer fatally shot a woman inside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, as Trump supporters stormed the building.

Mullin said the shooting happened as an angry, pro-Trump mob that had been protesting outside broke into the Capitol building and attempted to force entry into the House chamber, which was still in session.

"They were trying to come through the front door, which is where I was at in the chamber, and in the back they were trying to come through the speaker's lobby, and that's problematic when you're trying to defend two fronts," Mullin told ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos in an interview Thursday on "Good Morning America."

"When they broke the glass in the back, the (police) lieutenant that was there, him and I already had multiple conversations prior to this, and he didn't have a choice at that time," Mullin said. "The mob was going to come through the door, there was a lot of members and staff that were in danger at the time. And when he [drew] his weapon, that's a decision that's very hard for anyone to make and, once you draw your weapon like that, you have to defend yourself with deadly force."

A U.S. Capitol Police officer in plainclothes fired his service weapon as "multiple individuals" tried to gain access to the House room, striking a woman. She was transported to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead, according to Robert Contee, chief of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia. Authorities have not yet released the woman's identity.

Mullin said police "showed a lot of restraint" and "did the best they could."

"That young lady's family's lives changed and his (the officer's) life also changed," Mullin said. "But what also happened is that mob that was trying to go through that door, they left. And his actions will may be judged in a lot of different ways moving forward, but his actions I believe saved people's lives even more. Unfortunately, it did take one though."

Mullin said he "never thought" he would witness such a scene unfold in the United States.

"I get people being passionate and being frustrated, but there's a right way and and wrong way to do things and yesterday was wrong. There was absolutely no excuse for it," he said. "We're very fortunate a lot more people didn't actually lost their life. One is way too many."

A West Virginia lawmaker was among the people -- mostly pro-Trump protesters -- who broke into the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. 

Del. Derrick Evans took a video of himself and others rushing into the building after attacking Capitol police. In it, he is seen wearing a helmet and yelling, "We're in! Keep it moving, baby!"

Once inside, Evans walked around the Capitol Rotunda, which is filled with historical works of art, and yelled, "No vandalizing!"

He has since deleted the video from his social media. 

According to The Associated Press, State House of Delegates Speaker Roger Hanshaw said Evans will need to "answer to his constituents and colleagues regarding his involvement in what has occurred today."

"I want to thank everyone for their prayers today," Evans wrote in a Facebook statement after the Capitol break-in. "I am on the bus headed back home to WV. As many of you know, for the last few years I have traveled across the country to film many different events. Today, I had the opportunity to film another event in DC. I want to assure you all that I did not have any negative interactions with law enforcement, nor did I participate in any destruction that may have occurred. I was simply there as an independent member of the media to film history."

Biden officially announced key nominations for the U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday.

Judge Merrick Garland is his nominee for attorney general, Lisa Monaco is his nominee for deputy attorney general, Vanita Gupta is his nominee for associate attorney general, and Kristen Clarke is his nominee for assistant attorney general for the department's civil rights division.

Biden said he is "honored" that the nominees have "accepted this call to serve at such a critical time in our nation’s history."

"Our first-rate nominees to lead the Justice Department are eminently qualified, embody character and judgment that is beyond reproach, and have devoted their careers to serving the American people with honor and integrity," Biden said in a statement Thursday. "They will restore the independence of the Department so it serves the interests of the people not a presidency, rebuild public trust in the rule of law, and work tirelessly to ensure a more fair and equitable justice system. They are among the most accomplished legal minds in our country who also reflect the best of America’s full range of talents and background."