Georgia’s secretary of state evacuated as protesters descend on state Capitol

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Chaos breaks out at Capitol as segment of Trump supporters break in

Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., offers reaction from the Capitol on 'Bill Hemmer Reports'

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and his staff were evacuated from their office Wednesday afternoon after armed protesters gathered outside the state Capitol, officials said.

Gabriel Sterling, a top elections official, said Wednesday that it was an internal decision made by Raffensperger.

Lead by a Georgia State Trooper, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, center, exits the Georgia State Capitol building after hearing reports of threats, Jan. 6, in Atlanta.  (Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

"We saw stuff happening at the Georgia Capitol and said, 'We should not be around here, we should not be a spark'," Sterling said.

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Trump has focused much of his ire on Raffensperger in the weeks following his loss to Democrat Joe Biden in Georgia by about 12,000 votes.

About 100 protesters gathered at the state Capitol in Atlanta to protest President Trump's election loss. Some were armed with long guns.

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It was a scene similar to what unfolded in D.C., where supporters of the president stormed the U.S. Capitol in a chaotic protest aimed at thwarting the Electoral College certification, forcing lawmakers to be rushed from the building.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.