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US lawmakers, who were forced to seek a safe haven in the Capitol complex on Wednesday, relate the horror they experienced and say the situation is reminiscent of a war zone.
Evacuated members of Congress were ordered to wear gas masks.
Tear gas dispersed in Capitol Rotunda.
The congressmen ordered to take gas masks under the chairs in case they have to leave in a hurry!
– Mo Brooks (@RepMoBrooks) January 6, 2021
Police guarding the U.S. House of Representatives withdrew their weapons Wednesday when angry supporters of President Donald Trump tried to break into the Capitol complex in Washington, a member of Congress said.
Representatives “Palace protection and Capitol police withdrew their weapons as protesters smashed the palace’s main gate,” wrote Dan Kildee, a congressman in the building, on Twitter.
“They told us to lie on the ground and put on our gas masks,” he added.
I am in the Chambers of the House. We have been instructed to lie down on the ground and put on gas masks. Chamber security and Capitol police draw their weapons as protesters pound on the chamber’s front door.
This is not a protest. This is an attack on the United States.
– Representative Dan Kildee (@RepDanKildee) January 6, 2021
Wisconsin Republican Representative Mike Gallagher describes the situation as “crazy” and says he has not seen or experienced anything like it since he was sent to Iraq in 2007.
“It just came to our notice then. This must stop. The elections are over!” CNag spoke from CNN’s office on Capitol Hill and repeated the request on video.
We are witnessing the absolute shit of the banana republic on the United States Capitol right now. @realdonaldtrump, you must cancel this. pic.twitter.com/0QGx2PlXFY
– Representative Mike Gallagher (@RepGallagher) January 6, 2021
“It just came to our notice then. We don’t hear gunshots at the moment, but a lot of sirens.” Everyone is listening, we listened to instructions from the Capitol police force, “Rachel Cohen, spokeswoman for Democratic Senator Mark Warner, told The Daily Beast .
I am safe. They have equipped us with exhaust hoods and they transport us through the Capitol. pic.twitter.com/8YRX9Z3UTo
– Representative Alex Mooney (@RepAlexMooney) January 6, 2021
Democrat Grace Meng shared photos of her “hideout” on Twitter and said she had been “rescued” five hours later.
After 5 hours they rescued me from my hiding place. Now I can show you my DIY barricade and gas masks. The protesters were just outside the door chanting ‘USA USA’, it was scary, but I’m fine! Thank you all for your prayers. pic.twitter.com/OX3rfM35zH
– Grace Meng (@ Grace4NY) January 6, 2021
“Now I can build a homemade barricade and make a protective mask. The short-time supporters were behind the door and chanted “USA, USA.” I was very scared, “said the politician about the unenviable experience.
Virginia Democrat Abigail Spanberger told NBC News that she initially received a phone call saying the Capitol was in a robe. Some people wore gas masks, he clarified.
Vermont Democrat Peter Welch posted video at the scene of the incident, writing that both he and his colleagues were instructed by police to go under chairs and don gas masks to protect them from tear gas.
Update: gas masks are being prepared pic.twitter.com/6TYWImnoK3
– Representative Peter Welch (@PeterWelch) January 6, 2021
Maryland Democrat David Trone assured voters on Twitter that he was fine and posted a photo of him posing in a full-face gas mask.
I am safe. We have been evacuated.
Let me be clear: this illegal bullying will not stop us. pic.twitter.com/WWDJst4V1B
– Representative David Trone (@RepDavidTrone) January 6, 2021
Texas Democratic Rep. Veronica Escobar and Pramila Jayapal of Washington have been praying, reports NBC News.
Rep. Jason Crow, Democrat of Colorado, comforts Rep. Susan Wild, Democrat of Pennsylvania, as she takes cover as rioters disrupt the joint session of Congress. pic.twitter.com/b7rKblZoEA
– NBC News (@NBCNews) January 6, 2021
Here’s a scene from the House gallery after overwhelmed rioters stormed the Capitol today.
Approximately two dozen members and journalists huddled in the gallery, crouching behind the seats, while several armed officers blocked the door to the main chamber https://t.co/pisVAEiGNV pic.twitter.com/Vbc7BUuvbW
– POLITICAL (@political) January 6, 2021
As congressional staff searched for the best and safest place to hide, Trump supporters caused the most real chaos in the building. Word soon spread that at least one person inside the building had been shot in the neck and the National Guard had been dispatched to the scene.
With our gas masks in hand, Representative Scott Peters and I were on our way quickly from the Capitol to an undisclosed location. pic.twitter.com/DMfSK3C3lW
– Representative Diana DeGette (@RepDianaDeGette) January 6, 2021
Fierce presidential supporters stormed the office of Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, throwing furniture and throwing photos off the walls. A journalist for the right-wing newspaper The Blaze posted on television a screenshot of a work computer in Pelosi’s office showing the email address of at least one Democrat.
Former FBI Special Agent Dennis Frank, who has spent more than two decades in the service and also worked in the Rapid Reaction Force, admitted he was shocked by the news of the events on Capitol Hill.
“I would never have thought I’d see something like this. I wouldn’t want to be one of the FBI executives right now. I’m sure a lot of plans have been drawn up, all possible options have been considered, but the US Department of Justice is currently in Trump’s pocket. If the FBI invites, when will they intervene? The situation is very unfavorable, “said D. Frank.
Responsibility for the attack on the Capitol, which was largely unimaginable in the United States, fell primarily on the shoulders of the president, said Michigan Democrat and former CIA analyst Elissa Slotkin.
– Sheila Jackson Lee (@ JacksonLeeTX18) January 6, 2021
The incident, which shook the entire world, is radically different from what could have been experienced in Iraq, he said. There, rebel groups constantly fight to undermine American positions. The incident was fueled and allowed by the president himself, his network of advisers and, in essence, the Republican Party, blaming Slotkin.
Noah Bookbinder, executive director of the nonprofit Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, said in a statement: “President Trump has used every resource at his disposal to overthrow our democracy and establish himself as a dictator. When the electorate said no, when the courts said no, even when his own vice president said no, he incited his supporters to take aggressive action against the government, thus hampering the peaceful and smooth transfer of the power that sustains our democracy “.
Although Trump eventually slowly ordered his supporters to “go home” on Wednesday, he kept pouring kerosene on the fire, repeating false claims that he had “stolen the election.”
On the same Wednesday, he encouraged possible aggressors, explaining the importance of forcing “the people to fight” and that this would be proof of the “power to change the outcome of the elections.”
“With the weakness, the country will not recover in any way,” Trump said.
Those words fell from the president’s lips even after an enraged crowd approached the Capitol building and stormed it, disobeying officials’ attempts to maintain order.
An enraged crowd began to rampage through the area, smashing the building’s windows, breaking into parliament cabinets and chanting “Fight for the Short.”
The looted office of the Senate MP: pic.twitter.com/E7PsSgoAEX
– Ali Zaslav (@alizaslav) January 7, 2021
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