Transcripts For CNN January 6th 20240706

Direction i need him to run. Ill never forget that grip. He says, senator, were in danger, you have to come with me. And because of leader schumers position, he needed to go to different locations than Everybody Else did. We are walking briskly through a hall. And there are two gentlemen right by the stairwell. One baldheaded gentleman. Another one, long, black hair with a punisher shirt. We immediately aboutface. I grab the leader. We run out the door at full speed. I was within 20 feet of these insurrectionists. I heard second hand that someone pointed at me and said, theres the big jew, lets get him. We had a plan set. I ran to the elevator, i hit the button. We get up there, we pop out the door, boom, theres our vehicle, cars running. Heres our avenue out of here, we have made it. We start making our way to the secure location. I ask my colleagues to rejection this objection, to respect the will of the voters in the state of arizona the debate continues. Then i start noticing some things changing in the house. Increased anxiousness of the officers. Movement of the officers. Madam speaker im at the podium. The republicans start to act up with their opposition. Theyre kind of angry. So when the security is saying to me, you must leave now, im like, i can handle this. Theyre like, no, you cant, you have to go. And they pulled me right from the podium, to such an extent i dont even get a chance to take my phone or anything with me to go to an undisclosed location. They dont talk about whats going on outside. They just say, you have to go. I cannot believe this is happening. Its literally as you would see it in a movie of the Security Personnel come up, they get her, physically removed from behind the dais, and seeing her removed means we can no longer secure the chamber. My concern is we are leaving is not about me, its about my other members. Security has always said to me, you do your job, well do our job. And so they were prepared to protect the speaker of the house. And then they begin to tell me that the security has been breached to the capitol. The next thing i know is jim mcgovern, the chair of the rules committee, switches out with Speaker Pelosi. He takes over the gavel. Which is not supposed to happen. Clearly, the moment was getting more and more tense. And i go up and sit in the speakers chair and preside. Madam mr. Speaker can i have order in the chamber . The house will be in order. The house will be in order. Okay. Representative paul gosar from arizona is arguing at the microphone at that moment about why the election shouldnt be certified. And my colleague from minnesota, dean phillips, who is one of the most mildmannered people i have ever met in my life, stands up and points his finger at the republican members on the floor of the house. And i scream at the top of my lungs, from the top of the gallery its because of you this is because of you. Because i felt some of my colleagues, their responsibility for inciting the very horror that were in the middle of, that were enduring. My first reaction is, thats not helping right now. We need to figure out how to keep people safe, figure out how are we going to get out of this chamber, and what are we going to do to make sure that nothing worse happens . We just got notification here from the Capitol Police that there is a threat inside. There are scores of protesters, were told, im not sure exactly how many this is an incredibly dangerous situation thats unfolding here in the United States. My phones vibrating and i begin to get texts. From my daughter. Where are you . So im texting back. Im in the House Chamber, and im in the speakers chair and presiding. I know, but why are you there . Question marks. Like, what are you talking about . You should leave. And then i begin to hear what sounds like shouting outside the chamber. There was an ominousness thats growing in the chamber at this point. And the then, of course, it escalates when security comes in and removes leadership. Republican and democratic leadership. My detail chief comes up to me and says, we have to leave the chamber. And im thinking, why do we have to leave the chamber . But i get up, i leave. And he says to me, the capitol has been breached. How can that be, that the capitol could be breached . This is something i had never experienced. And ive been in the House Of Representatives for 40 years. The house will be in order. House will be in order. Mcgovern continues to preside. Arguments continue for a few more minutes. But there is more commotion. Theres strange noises ricochetting through the halls and into the chamber. Theres a level of panic starting among staff, among members. Nobody knows what is going to happen. And quite frankly, nobody knows what is happening. I get down to the crypt with the five officers that im with, and we join probably 10 or 12 more officers that are already down there. Stop the steal stop the steal we formed a line of officers, and we interlocked our arms, trying to make almost like a human chain to stop these people from forcing their way into the crypt. Im told multiple times, were doing this for you, back the blue, were taking back our country. Last time i checked, the british werent occupying the capitol right now, so who exactly are you taking the Building Back from . Usa usa usa usa usa usa usa usa usa i see a Fire Extinguisher Flying through the air almost in slow motion, and it slams into my right foot. Just below the ankle. And involuntarily i cry out in pain. And reach for my foot, afraid that it maybe had broken my ankle. Had it been a little higher, it would have struck my upper extremities or my head. So i charge my weapon, and that seems to fire the crod up even more rethey start screaming, are you going to shoot us . Are you going to shoot your own citizens . That just makes me angry. I dont want to shoot anyone. And then moments later, they overwhelm the line. Theyre assaulting officers, shoving, kicking, hitting. And we start moving back. And the crowd keeps coming. The only place we have to go now is back towards a series of about three rollup doors. Like a garage door that separates the crypt from the capitol visitor center. Youre scared now, mother fucker stop the steal stop the steal stop the steal stop the steal stop the steal its gone to hell in a hand basket. Its bad. We are losing this. If we havent already lost it. Humpty dumpty does it with a great fall. Wonderful pistachios. Get crackin only at vanguard, youre more than just an investor youre an owner. That means that your goals are ours too. And Vanguard Retirement tools and advice can help you get there. 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How dare you think you can assault this chamber with violence in order to stop a constitutional process . Capitol security comes up to me and says, you need to stop this proceeding now, it is no longer safe for you to be here. Without objection, the chair declares the house in recess pursuant to clause 12b of rule 1. I think in my head, theyre going to try to secure the chamber. The chamber is the last thing that goes. We will protect the chamber with force and at all costs. Its the equivalent of, if someone goes over the fence at the white house. There will be use of force. The congressman is calling me. Obviously, he is completely flipped out. Whats going on . Is everything okay . Im nervous. Im very nervous. Im trying not to show them that i am nervous. Because tabatha, shes scared. Shes starting to get really scared. I decide, i need to barricade the door. Tabatha says, im getting under the desk. Hank says, im joining you under the desk. Slowly, the sound starts getting louder and louder. Theyre outside my door. I mean, theyre theyre jangling the doorknob, screaming, cursing all over the place. I want to crawl up in a ball and just cover my head. But i think to myself, i cant do that. And then i stand up and i start pacing the room. I need weapons. So i find its a its a bronze bust of a buck that has buck horns and antlers, and theyre very poins pointy, and theyre bronze, and its a heavy thing. And i decide, this is what i am going to defend us with. I was born and raised in philadelphia, and i got my philly on. Trudy tells me that theyve locked the doors, theyve pushed all the furniture they can up against the doors, and the kids are hiding under the desk. Tap ba that and hank were hiding under the desk, julie was guarding the door. So i said, guard them with your life. Weve had a breach of the Capitol Building that is causing a lockdown of both chambers, the house and the senate. Capitol police is responding to the breach of the building and we will advise on further information once it comes to us. The Capitol Police start locking the doors. Now, these doors are about 100, 120 years old. The locks are big. You hear this chachunk, chachunk, chachunk one of the plainclothes, he stood up, put his hands up, he said, fellows, everyone, stay where you are, youre not leaving, the capitol has been breached, the capitol has been breached. If youre sitting near a chair, sit down. If you would like to get down on the ground, go ahead and do that. He explained that the backs of our seats were bulletproof and that we should take cover behind the seats. We have folks entering the rotunda and coming down this way. So well update you as soon as we can. But just be prepared, stay calm. My background of a former cia officer, im thinking, this is insanity. That ive prepared for horrific, potentially horrific attacks on buildings. But it was supposed to be an embassy, it was supposed to be a building i was in in some other country. Like, those were the scenarios. Its not supposed to be the United States capitol. I felt the air just get very tense at that point. Very tense. And even though there was a lot of noise, it was also oddly very quiet. For me, it was reminiscent of what happens before a firefight. And then theres an announcement that we should all look under our seats and locate our gas masks. Tear gas in the rotunda. Please be advised there are masks under your seats i actually didnt even know that there were gas masks under our seats. And im thinking to myself, gas mask . What are you talking about . Please grab a mask, place it in your lap, and be prepared to don your mask in the event that we have a breach. That really jolted all of us. So all of a sudden we have these gas masks. And theyre the type that when you pull them out of the packaging and expand them, they automatically start. So you start hearing the metal bag opening, like all the ripping noises. And then you hear this just constant buzzing and humming noise. One mask by itself, the sound is not particularly disturbing. But when you suddenly have over 100 masks, it sounds a little bit like bad movie music at a moment of high tension. People are freaking out. Theyre scared. Theres some young staffers that are starting to cry. The fear comes from not knowing whats going on. At this point, if you are watching this on television at home, you know far more than any member of congress. Its a scene of utter chaos inside the Capitol Building. Once these protesters stormed the doors and got actually inside the capitol itself, reporters and lawmakers alike were barricading themselves in various rooms and offices and hideaways, locking the doors. You start hearing a roar getting closer and closer to the door. Its clearly the the voices of a mob. Thats where i kind of had an internal Breaking Point of, wow, i dont know whats on The Other Side now of those doors. If it is so bad that we can no longer protect the chamber. I texted my uncle my will, to make sure that my daughter was cared for in the way that i thought she should be. I dont want my parents to know the level of what is going on. I didnt cry. And i wasnt breaking down. But i was preparing for whatever was going to happen. I just prayed for strength. I heard Loud Commotion to my left. And i looked, and they were pushing in. And i heard Loud Commotion to my right, and i looked, and they were pushing in. It was at that point when everybody kind of swarmed and jumped at the same time. Thats when the line fully collapsed down on the lower terrace. Push, push, push, push, push push, push, push i had to make the decision, we cant hold this, were going to have to pull back out. And i turned to all the officers that i could see. Lets go, weve got to get up, weve got to go high, weve got to get out of here. Weve lost the line, weve lost the line all pd pull back all pd pull back Police Officers dont give up ground. So that was difficult. As we start walking backwards, the crowd i think they kind of Start Thinking that we were win or that they were winning. Run away, pussies, we got you, just get out of here, just go home, you lost. Im seeing my officers, im giving them directions on the radio, youve got to use the stairwell, lets go, lets go. And im waving them to the stairs, like keep going, keep going. Im waiting for that last officer i can see and physically touch, and im grabbing him, and im literally hoisting him up bit back of the belt, trying to get him up the stairs. And were feet behind us, weve got the crowd coming up the stairs behind us. Im responsible for hundreds of Police Officers lives. Im responsible for keeping this crowd out of this big White Building behind me. So i took some resources that were initially assigned to me and Commander Kyle broke away to take those officers inside. We get to the top of the west terrace stairs. Right there is the door to the what we call the tunnel. Its normally a door that youll see during inauguration where the president comes through and you just see it all crisp and clean, and this is america. This is where the president comes out. Piled in there, we locked the doors. Closed the doors and locked the doors. You know, i used to work the capitol, started off with Capitol Police. I always thought those doors were bulletproof and bomb proof and indestructible. So i thought, hey, we finally got a few minutes to breathe, you know . And like 30 seconds later, some guy i dont know what he used, but he popped that glass on that window like it was nothing and just reached in and unlocked it. And then from then, i mean, the fight was on. Commander kyle happened to be the highestranking official to get pulled into that mix. He took command and took control and got everybody as organized as possible. Its such a narrow hallway. I think its only about 10 feet wide. You know, and thats where we made our stand. The plan at the very beginning was very simple. Line up and dont let those guys dont let the bad guys in. Theyre stacked just as well as we are. If you can see beyond them, all you can see is people. People on top of people on top of people. It was a fucking nightmare. It was a nightmare. Push, push, push i thought we were the only point that was in jeopardy of being breached. So i thought this was it. This is the alamo, this is The Last Stand right here. They get in here, its over. Usa, usa, usa, usa, usa Breaking News Back East in our Nations Capital where there is absolute chaos right now. Hundreds if not thousands of protesters out there on the capitol steps. Some have actually made their way into the Capitol Building. Weve seen video of them fighting with the Capitol Police inside the Capitol Building. Now we dont know exactly what theyre carrying or what their intent is. You wi th . Like what . Visionworks. See the difference. Fellow elites. Now that weve made travel so ridiculously expensive, we can enjoy this hotel without all the filthy normals littering this place with their mindless frivolity. [laughter] [water splashes] howd you get here . Kayak huh . They compared hundreds of travel sites to find a great deal on my flight, car and hotel. I guess well just have to eat him. Yuck. You do it. Kayak. Search one and done. When cold symptoms keep you up, try vicks nyquil severe. Just one dose starts to relieve 9 of your worst cold and flu symptoms, to help take you from 9 to none. For max strength nighttime relief, nyquil severe that performance was legendary. They just piled it on. Roast beef, ham, oven roasted turkey. All on the subway club. Three peat thats great. Three meat thats epic. The subway series. The greatest menu of all time. Where the fuck are they . Where are they . While were here, we might as well set up a government. Hey, lets take a seat, people lets take a seat fucking a, man. Glad to see you guys. Hey, look ted cruzs objection to the arizona objection, he was going to sell us out all along. Really . Objection to counting electoral votes of the state of arizona. Wait, no, thats all right, all right, stop mike pence is a fucking traitor. Now that youve done that, can i get you guys to walk out of this room, please . Yeah. We love the cops. Its only a matter of time, justice is coming. The chaplain of the house took the dais and she began leading a prayer. Father almighty, deliver us. Im not sure if she literally said deliver us, but it very much sounded like the sort of prayer that one makes when a ship is potentially sinking. Eric swalwell looks at me and says, what is this, our last rites . I think the same thing. Why are we praying . We need to be ready for this. We need to find weapons. Because when they get here and theyre going to overrun us, we need to be able to fight with something. And there was nothing. There was nothing. All i saw was pens. And so i go, get a pen, be ready. As a former Law Enforcement officer, im looking down for my weapons that i have carried for so long around my waist. And there was nothing there. Theres no baton, theres no gun, theres nothing there. What can i use as a weapon . And im thinking about my keys. My husband says to me, channel your inner elizabeth jennings, which is a reference to the show the americans. And i said, you know, hairs already in a ponytail, i got my pen in hand, im not going down without putting a pen in someones throat. This is how we cope with stressful situations is slight gallows humor. But i needed him to know that i was in that State Of Mind and was going to be okay. Finally, another Capitol Police officer comes in with m16s slung, so they have a Security Route for us out. Saying, you know, everyone is being evacuated, we need to move now. Security starts moving all the members off the house floor. But it became more and more apparent that they had forgotten that there were two dozen members up in the gallery. And those of us in the gallery literally are saying, what about us . What about us . Were still up here. Usa, usa, usa were walking through the corridors. And we get to a line of police. Theres not many, theres no more than ten i can see. And the crowds just getting bigger behind me. We want trump theres a door at the end of this corridor, straight ahead. And just the fact that the police were making the stand there, and they dont want protesters to go past this spot im kind of thinking, maybe this is one of the chambers. I dont know how many people are out behind me, but its as far as i can see. And once the crowd decided they wanted to go, the police are not going to stop them. Its started. Its started. Its started. I told you, theyre going, theyre going. Guys the crowd just surges. And they start smashing the door, trying to get through the door, kicking it, throwing themselves at it, whatever they can do to try and breach the door. Usa, usa those doors started shaking violently. And people were banging on the doors. Let us in, were coming in. That is the most haunting sound ive ever heard. People trying to barrel their way into the main door of the u. S. House of representatives. Everybody starts to rush over to put furniture up against the door, to secure the door. But then all of these officers start telling everybody to get back. And they have their guns drawn. Stop the steal, stop the steal stop the steal, stop the steal a member of congress was with me, mark wayne mullin. And because of covid, there are these little Hand Sanitizers. And they were made out of wood, wooden bases. Im watching him and hes breaking that Hand Sanitizer off the base. I said, well, mark, what are you going to do with that . He said, thats my weapon. I noticed there was another one on The Other Side of the aisle there. So i proceeded to break that off its base. On the floor, about 80 to 90 of the members have left or are essentially in a line ready to leave. And there were a couple of members of congress, as well as Capitol Police, who are barricading the center door. While im standing there, the glass, the glass just started breaking. Here we go they broke the glass . And the noise of the glass and the force of that glass that came in, very violent. Very, very violent. Break it down, Break It Down Break It Down, Break It Down everybody down, get down Break It Down, Break It Down Break It Down, Break It Down Break It Down, Break It Down Break It Down, Break It Down a republican member leans over and looks and says, i can talk to these people, im one of them. And i look at him, youre crazy, these are these people are theyre out of their mind, theyre attacking us, they dont care if youre a republican, if youre a conservative republican, they just care that youre a member of congress. Were inside and theyre not. One young man is looking through the glass, and he said, youre from texas, you should be with us and i says, oh, no, sir. I said, i cannot support what youre doing right now. I says, we are here today, we are conducting business. This is a sacred place. I mean, this place here, this is the United States House Of Representatives. Youre disrupting what were trying to do. I said, what youre doing is unamerican and you have to stop. You have to stop doing this right now. Because the individuals to my left and right, the individuals from the Capitol Police had their guns drawn. If you dont, these individuals could shoot and kill you. They could shoot you. It was a pretty intense situation. If they would have come through those doors, guns were drawn. It could have been it could have been a bloodbath right there. They keep trying but it seems obvious theyre not going to get in. So one part of the crowd has peeled off and theyve gone off down this corridor. Im in the speakers chair. I feel like im the captain of the titanic. Somehow i should remain there until everybody leaves. I dont know whether thats written anywhere, but its what i felt. A couple of people come up to me, you should go now. And i walked out and i turn. And i see three Police Officers outside the doors. And this huge, angry mob. Theyre about 50 feet away right now from members. If they break through that, were in a very bad situation. This is not a group of a handful of protesters. Certainly not here to hand me a leaflet. There are police with their guns drawn, and they continue to bang their bare fists on the glass. And at one point the glass cracks. I look into the faces of those people banging their fists on the glass. And if you had asked me what hate looks like, thats what it looks like. Completed the evacuation of all the members on the floor. And here we are. Were just sitting here. The capitol is being evacuated. And and we have nowhere to go. We can hear the people in the hallway behind us. Cant go that way. And theres no way to get to the floor. And so were stuck. Were trapped. Break it down, break this down i can see a crowd at the front, kind of seems like there was a bit of a stalemate, stuck in this corridor trying to get past this line of police. There was a lot of shouting, a lot of noise. Then, im not sure why, the police move off to the side. Break it down, Break It Down i get up there, and there are multiple officers, guns drawn, pointed at the doors on the opposite side of the lobby. Theres a gun, theres a gun hes got a gun and i look in time to see a shot fired by one of our officers. [ gunshot ] sounds like a fucking gunshot i dont know what hes shooting at. Im assuming ive got multiple threats. And i yell out, what have we got . And someone says, we have one shot fired, someones down on The Other Side. And the next thing i hear is people shouting, they fucking shot her, shes been shot, shes dying. You did that, though you did that you did that i pushed to the front of the room. I looked down. And theres a woman lying on the floor, blood coming out of her mouth. She looks in an extremely bad way. And shes surrounded by police who are trying to save her. Once you start taking lethal force, your situation has escalated to an entire other level. You can see that police are still scared of the crowd. Theyre focusing on her. Theyre trying to save this ladys life. But theyve got their eye on the crowd. And they could turn on the police at any second. Theyre telling them to get back, give them space. It was like space being made for her to be carried through this corridor. But they just carried her down the stairs. I think everybody was shocked and upset that it had come to that point. [ gunshot ] the fuck . The gun goes off. And the assumption i have is, theres going to be more of this. And so at this point, im frightened. You know, im just really shaking. Take your pins off. Pins off. Some members recommend that we take our pins off. These are the pins that identify us as members of congress. I knew if they broke through the doors and came after us that wed be very easily identified by the pin. So i took my pin off. And several others did. I call my wife. You know, that was that was the hardest moment of the whole thing. As soon as i hear her voice, and i go to speak with her, i can hardly speak. Its because it is occurring to me right now that im making that phone call. You know that phone call that Everybody Knows about. The phone call from the 80th floor of the building. The phone call from the plane as its going down. I dont know. In my mind, im wanting to kind of convert to what i call ranger mode or combat mode. I call my wife and just said, the capitols been breached, were surrounded, theres no way out. She says to me, listen, dont try to be a hero. You have a family now. As im hearing Everybody Else talking to their loved ones, ill actually going through a mental struggle about, do i call my children so they can hear my voice . So i can hear their voices . Or do i not call them because i dont want to worry them . And i decide that, no, i need to talk to my kids. My goal was not to upset them. More than anything else, i just didnt want them to be upset. And so i i say, im okay, im going to be okay. And in response my son says, what do you mean youre going to be okay . We can hear gunshots, we can hear glass breaking. And thats the first that i realized that they could perceive what was happening. And and right after that, i thought i was immediately after i hung up, i thought i was having a heart attack. It felt like my chest was coming out of my body and pounding really, really hard. But i didnt really realize that people around me could could tell that i was upset. I thought i was holding it in. And the then i feel somebody take my hand. And i look behind me. And it was jason crow. Hes stroking my hand and saying, youre going to be okay. Im not sure i believed that. But thats what needed to be said. Our smart sleepers get 28 minutes more restful sleep per night. Proven quality sleep. Only from sleep number. [narrator] why is aaron happy . Well, carvana has Tens Of Thousands of cars under 20,000. 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Thats the value of ownership. [announcer] do you have an Invention Idea but dont know what to do next . Call invent help today. They can help you get started with your idea. Call now 8007100020. We get off the elevator, guns drawn. And were walking down the hall to where the house Gallery Entrances are. Theres just nothing but people in the hallway. And its only three of us. And im like, oh, man. This is going to be bad. We yell at them, get on the ground now, get on the ground now. They get on the ground. And one of the guys yelled, officers, dont shoot, i have two knives on. I drop down and i start checking him. And sure enough, he had pocketknives on him. They were pocketknives, but the blades were long enough where if he wanted to do some damage to somebody, he could. And he had zip ties on him. Someone starts banging on the door behind us. And our officer, one of our officers goes to answer the door. And were saying, wait a minute, wait, you dont know who that is. The officers actually grabbed their guns and get their guns ready, which tells me they dont know whether thats those are rioters on The Other Side of the door or the rescue team. You know, if i had bad intentions and i wanted to get in a room, i would bang on the door. And if i wanted people to let me in, i would bang please. Dont open the door, how do you know thats police . Im thinking to myself, seriously . I mean, dont you have, like, some kind of a special code . You know. Knock knock knock knock knock knock knock. Something like that, right . Something so you know its a Police Officer. Dont open the door, you dont know who it is. So one of the officers with gun ready unlocks the door. And peeks it open. And verifies that its the rescue team. The door comes open. And they tell us, go. As we get out into the hallway, i can see to the right officers with their guns drawn. And part of the mob on the floor, face down, being held back. Get back in the open start coming forward advance. Lets not forget what the president said a couple of hours ago at that rally in the ellipse in washington, they told all these individuals who had gathered, the supporters of his, youll never take back our country with weakness, you have to show strength, and you have to be strong, as he encouraged them to march toward the u. S. Capitol. Thats exactly what theyve done. Theyve not only marched, theyre inside and theyre endangering a lot of people right now. I couldnt get on the radio because the Radio Traffic i ended up making a call. I was like, i need some people, were going to lose this. You know. He said, hey, you just got to hold tight, we dont have anybody right now. Independent not believe it. Literally, they dont understand that we have 30 people here fighting thousands of people. I hang up the phone, hey, look, weve got to hold to this a little longer, the cavalrys coming, a little longer. I had to lie to them because i didnt want them to feel as defeated as i did. I make my way in there slowly and im trying not to be noticed too much. You were moving with the crowd whether you liked it or not. It was just so packed that you had no choice but to move with them. Thats when they started doing heaveho heaveho heaveho, heaveho, heaveho, hea heaveho, heaveho theres an officer, you know, there with his gas mask. The guy grabs his mask, and hes trying to rip it his face mask off to see his face. Hes telling him, tell me your name, motherfucker, tell me your name. You could hear the officer screaming back at him, stop, stop, what the fuck are you doing, stop it he was being crushed. He was being hurt. You could see blood, you know, from his mouth. Help i think they did pull him away after that. Get him to the back, get him to the back, lets get some fresh faces up front then the crowd goes right back to attacking them to try and get into the building. My lieutenant comes up to me and he says, we need to find the west terrace entrance. We got to go down there, Commander Kyles down there. So i rally together about 20 of my platoon. You know, we work our way through. Its a maze in that building. So we go down. And in this hallway, there are mpd officers, Capitol Police officers that look like they just got beat up. They look just exhausted. It looks like the finish line for a race none of us trained for. I look around at my officers, and theyre babies, most of them. Theyre 21 to 25. And i go, go back them up. Right . So they go and now instead of 20 people in the hallway, its 40. Its like they were the spackle to a hole, right . And it wasnt enough. I get to the door, right . And its elevated so you can see out into the crowd. And there are still thousands of people just snarling, angry people. Calling you names. Mostly fu, pigs. Get out of the way or well kill you. We give you niggers some power im like, did he just call me a nigger . Me . Part of me is like, thats rude. Another part of me is like, say it again. Im trying to get people a chance to recover, but no matter how bad you were hurt, you had to get back in. So i was running over to our injured officers and picking them up and throwing them back, you know, into the into the tunnel, into the fight. And telling them, hey, i know youre hurt, but youve got to get back in the fight. You know, kind of throwing them back into this meat grinder was a was a very very hard thing to do. Emotionally, you know. We arrive at the undisclosed location. Were all arriving approximately the same time. And at that time we see on a big screen what is actually happening outside the capitol. How violent it was. And how angry the mob was. And the actions that were being taken against the Capitol Police. And anybody who would stand between them and their objective of getting into the capitol. Chuck schumer and i are putting out a Public Statement to the president , because thats all he pays attention to. But that failed. We did not succeed in persuading him to do something vr. All the leadership was there, both on the democratic and republican side, both on the house and the senate. We are now engaged in a bevy of activities on the phones. Chuck and i were on the phones to the governors of virginia, steny with maryland. Were asking, are your National Guard ready to come . I said, larry, the capitol is under siege, and we need to deploy the maryland guard. His response was, yes, we are willing to do that. He said further, however, that he had contacted the Department Of Defense and could not get authorization to do so. We have to have the violence to stop, and that would only happen with the National Guard. We also talked to the secretary of defense and said, mr. Secretary, you have got to deploy troops right now, right now. And we failed to hear an urgency in his response. Well, were seeing this were thinking about it, were trying to get that, and yes, we understand the problem. But there was no its going to be done. Were coming for you, nancy i know that the pictures were taking are going to be one of the main ways people know whats going on inside the building. So whatever happens, i need to keep working. I encounter a colleague of mine, jim, and we see some of these protesters going in and out of the office suite of nancy pelosi. This is normally a part of the capitol that you cant even poke your head down without a Police Officer shouting at you to go away. You scared little democrat a lot of the office had already been vandalized. There are people rummaging around, looking for souvenirs. Speaker pole loessy is a sports fan. She has memorabilia throughout her office. One person walks up to me, takes a baseball off the shelf, this person says, hey, do you think its okay if i take this this then comes in a guy with an American Flag and with what looks like, to me, a Giant Cattle Prod in his belt. Its actually a stun gun. He puts his flag down gently on a table. He sits down at a desk. He puts his feet up. He looks through the drawers of the desk. He looks at the computer screen. He actually holds up a piece of mail that has Nancy Pelosis signature on it so he can take pictures of it, sort of as proof, like, this is Nancy Pelosis office, im here. At this point, jim and i realize weve sort of had enough. We need to figure out a place that we can go to be safe. Okay, we finally made it out. Were being evacuated. We were stuck on the gallery level when the when the protesters were storming into the into the chamber. A lot of other members already made it out, but now were finally getting out. Were evacuating. Then we get to the safe room. Its a very large room. And, you know, theres probably 100plus members of congress in there. Its the first time we just take a many of us take a sigh of relief, you know, let our breath out. Were the last ones to get there. And its chaos. Nobody knows what were doing, nobody knows how long well be there, nobody knows whats next. This is january 2021. So covid is still very much an issue. Theres a whole heck of a lot of people not wearing masks. I think that just added another layer of anxiety to everyone, that gosh, we evacuate, we get people there, and now were in i called it the covid punch bowl, out of just comedic relief. Because its just like, oh and were in a pandemic. Whats hard to comprehend at this moment is that this is not over yet. Im out, but the capitols not secure, so were in that room at first i thought, whoo, okay, thats over. Its not over at all. It wasnt a breach, it was a siege. We were overrun. Hundreds and hundreds of people were pouring in. And that was astonishing to me. And also terrifying. Because im very worried about tabitha and hank. Slowly, the sound lowers. The volume lowers. And i tell tabitha and hank, you can come out now. We just stare off at each other. And theres no words. Then theres a knock at the door. Its the Capitol Police, were here to help you. I think that was the moment for me where i felt like i survived. I receive a text saying, the police have them, theyre on the way. Thats an agonizing time period, because i know theyre now outside of that room, you know i dont know that the whole route is secured. But it was probably just about 10 or 12 minutes later that they arrive. We make our way to the back room, and jamie sees them and just gets in this huddle. And theres tears and crying and almost shaking, you know, that he found his kids. Its its hard to characterize what that feels like. But it was just overwhelming. And i just threw my arms around tabitha and hank. I dont even work in the capitol. I work in another building. Like, i wasnt supposed to be there. Not only was i, his children werent supposed to be there. And we just happened to be 50 feet from the floor on a day of an insurrection. And the congressman said something like, not a good day to take your kid to work. einstein oh . cecily switch to verizon for a limited time, get welcome unlimited for just 25 line. einstein 25 . cecily and its guaranteed for 3 years einstein brilliant cecily well, you would know. einstein im switching cecily i think the bikes probably faster. vo now is the best time to switch to verizon. For just 25 a line. Guaranteed for 3 years. The savings that last. On the network you want. Verizon. When dehydration gets real. Hey thats mine. Ill buy you a pony. Advanced hydration isnt just for kids. Pedialyte helps you hydrate during recovery. If your business kept on employees through the pandemic, getrefunds. 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So lets go. The digital age is waiting. Well, we fell in love through gaming. But now the Internet Lags and it throws the whole thing off. When did you first discover this lag . I signed us up for tmobile home internet. Ugh but, we found other interests. I guess we have. [both] finch lets go oh yeah its not the same. What could you do to solve the problem . We could get xfinity . Thats actually super adult of you to suggest. I cant wait to squad up. I love it when you talk nerdy to me. Guy, guys, guys, were still in session. And i dont know what the heck youre talking about. The area outside on of the rotunda is just filled with people. And this guy, he approaches. And he says, were doing this for your people. He said, black people should be up here with us. And i said to him, for as long as there have been African Americans in this country, we have been disenfranchised, we have been enslaved, we had our rights taken from us. In all of that, we have never had it in our minds to come up here and do something as ridiculous and as privileged and as unamerican as what youre doing right now. So i said, do not look at me in my face and say youre doing this for me. I said, i served my country, and i served it honorably, and i serve it continually. And i said, what you are doing is not in service of your country. I said, youre a traitor. And i said, dont you think anything different while youre standing in this building. Whose house . Our house whose house . Our house we see one guy chanting. And i went up to him. Excuse me. No, no. What are you trying to do . What are you trying to do . Kick ass and take names later i ask him if he tried to disrupt, and before i finish my question, hes like were not here to hurt anybody, were not trying to hurt anybody, were just here to let you know theres a million of us or more out there that will come through this building if necessary. When i tried to challenge him about what could trump think of what is happening in the capitol, he cannot answer me because hes pointing me one direction, saying thats the police, watch out, here come the police. And we realize that Police Officers are coming all around the rotunda. Im just pure angry. Im mad. Thats the overwhelming feeling is just anger. Because the capitol, thats our responsibility. Its sacred to us, in a way. I know they had to go through a lot of our people to get there. So im mad. And i Say Something to the effect of, are you people pissed off . Because i am, and its time to go take back the effing capitol. We have a group of Metropolitan Police in full riot gear, which im super happy to see. Because all of them look like theyre about a foot and a half taller than i am. And they acted like it was their building. It was great. They are not moving, we are up against the wall. The policemen are coming our way. Theyre pushing very more aggressively than before. They are taking control. They are veterans and theyre trying to pushback the trump supporters, so they might they we are with them. At one point, theres an mpd officer next to me. And somebody grabs his stick. And theyre going back and forth with the stick. And eventually they manage to pull it away from him. Kind of flies backward into the crowd. He looks over at me, i lost my stick. And i said something to the effect of, well, you still got starsky and hutch, lets go people are back together, so we are smashed, smashed, and we are just trying to Stay Together and to get through this. But at some point, because the police is pushing the demonstrators, move, we move with them. Shes in front of me and she leads me toward the exits. At this moment, the capitol is still occupied by protesters. There were nbc news reports that Capitol Hill Police and d. C. Metro police were in a combined operation to clear the interior. The degree of success on that matter is unclear to us at this moment. And extraordinarily and without explanation through it all, the president of the United States has not made a statement. Were staring at the television, waiting for the president to do what president s do at a time like this, which is to calm a country, which is to to intervene, which is to send help. And we watch and we watch and we watch. And this growing sense of, were in this on our own. I see liz cheney in the room. And i know her. Were were rivals in some ways. Shes a very conservative republican. Fierce partisan. But i think of her as a person of integrity. Shes also the senior republican in the room. I go up to her and i say, liz, i trust you will agree with me on this. The moment we can, the moment they give us the all clear, weve got to march back into that House Chamber and what i planned to say is and finish the job and certify the election. She stops me, she finishes my sentence for me. I say to him, we Must Immediately bring articles of impeachment, President Trump is dangerous, he must be impeached and he must be convicted and removed, and we must do it now. Oh. Okay. This is liz cheney saying this. And that brings home to me the weight of the moment. We did have a brief discussion about, hey, we should abandon this, its over, theyre already in the building. Despite our best efforts, they found their way in, some other means. I told the guys that i was there, i dont know how many people are upstairs, i have no idea. I was like, but i know theres, like, thousands and thousands of people out in front of us that want to get in here. If we leave, theyre going to be in here, and were never going to get them out. I was like, were staying here. Its very unnerving when youre like, what do we do next . What is the end game what is we were trying to figure out, what is the end game of this . It seemed like this was just going to go on forever. It was like, they werent giving up and we werent giving up. Im starting to work my way to the front, and i see one of my officers feet being dragged away from me. Im like what the fuck is happening . Sergeant isaac actually comes to me and tells me that one of our officers is out, out in the crowd. And so im thinking, what do we do . You know, like theres no way we can leave that officer out there in the crowd. But i knew, too that we had so few people at the door that no matter who we sent out there, it was almost going to be like a fools errand. I was like, we have to get him. But strategically, there was no way for me to do anything about it. Like, i could have legitimately sent officers out the door. But then we would have had to shoot people. So introducing firearms in this situation was implausible it was untenable. I was like, fuck it, were just going to have to go get our asses kicked if that was what it was going to take. We were going to send probably ten officers out there, kind of circle him, pull him back in. Luckily, he was brought back up to the door right before we were getting ready to go back out there for him. I turn around and i look, and there he is, right . Like he had come back he just looks like he literally got dragged into the crowd, no other way to describe him. He had been beaten and tased. There were several during that fight that it became so intense that i really thought we were going to lose it. I didnt think we were going to be able to hold. We were on our own for a very long time, and thats actually the scariest part. We are begging for help at this point. And there was no one to help us. We went from, you know, protecting the capitol to surviving. In that tunnel. When we reached the capitol, we reached the conclusion that trump has made a video and is calling everyone to go back home. I know your pain, i know youre hurt. Its a very tough period of time. Theres never been a time like this where such a thing happens, where they get taken away from all of us. From me, from you, from our country. This was a fraudulent election. But we cant play into the hands of these people. We have to have peace. So go home, we love you, youre very special. Youve seen what happens, you see the way others are treated that are so bad and so evil. I know how you feel. But go home, and go home in peace. That looks prerecorded this is our fucking house its not 6 00, its not fucking curfew time. Trump would not that does not sound like trump. I asked the supporters, what do you think what do you think of that . Are you going to follow the line of donald trump . For them, its fake news. Trump cannot do that. Then i see the shaman in the stairs. So im coming to him. Kind of, you know, a bit is that you i see on the picture . Hes like, oh, yeah. Yeah, i was on the senate floor, i was sitting in bidens chair, it was fun. Very proud of himself. Coming inside where youre not allowed to, its undermining your cause . No, the communists have infiltrated the government at the highest levels. They forgot they work for us, the people. Today their boss showed up to work. Im asking them, do you think donald trump would support you . Reacting like this against the Law Enforcement and the Police Officer . And then he quotes saying on occasion, the tree of liberty must be replenished with the blood of peats an ss ss an and tyrants. Im a bit astonished by what hes saying. And asking him, do you think that was necessary . Nobodys getting hurt right now. Nobodys pushing against the Police Officers. So our plan is to let these traitors know who the fuck is in charge. Any questions, chris . All good, thanks maura healthier is managing all your familys prescriptions in one app. We know you care. [music plays] but if this is all too real for you and your loved ones. Make the call. Because we care too. Home instead. To us, its personal. 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Like, you get to the point where you are at the end of what you can tolerate as a human being. Right . You understand there are limits. You understand there are capabilities. You understand that as a Police Officer, you are held to a different standard. But i will not die in this hallway. I hear dogs barking. And i cant for the life of me figure out why im hearing dogs barking. And so i look down the hallway to my right, and i see Law Enforcement officers from the Virginia Agency running in our direction with riot gear on. Out of nowhere, this giant human, right, comes by, just a giant man, giant. Hes like, you guys need our help . And 25 people sure as shit show up, and its Virginia State. They were the biggest guys ive ever seen. And i was so happy to see them. You know, like when they showed up, i was, all right, we got this. Now i wanted to stand up and get back in the fight. We have fresh bodies to help us. And were going to get through this. You know, were going to win this this battle. One of them asked me, like, hey, should we throw flashbangs . I was like, throw everything you have, anything you have, lets do it, you know, lets do it. We gathered everybody to the door and just pushed. And finally we push outside. And its literally like clearing a drain, right, and the water starts to flow. We ran like lemmings out this door. And were able to start pushing people down the stage. And were telling people, its over, youre done, get off the stage. Finally, were on the offense. Instead of on the defense for the past, you know, four hours. We push out. You know, you could feel the feel the air. You could breathe in the air. We pushed them all the way back. Then you stop and you realize, its cold out here, and im wet from head to toe. So but you were happy. Youre like, this is finally over. The day that you didnt think would end finally is coming to an end. We as a nation, were fortunate that Virginia State Police Department showed up when they did. Because wed be having different conversations about january 6th if they made us stay in there any longer. I think we had pulled our guns and shot, i think some in the crowd would have pulled their guns and shot, absolutely. We recovered pistols earlier that day. How many more people out there actually had weapons . We shoot, they shoot luckily it didnt escalate to that. I could only imagine the loss of life if we had done that. The significant moment during lockdown happens probably around 6 00 p. M. Or just after 6 00 p. M. And thats the moment when Speaker Pelosi and steny hoyer enter the room. We were, of course, ecstatic that they were safe. Concerned about the trauma. Im called upon to speak, and i tell them, were back, were going to honor our constitutional responsibilities, we cannot let Another Day Go by before we certify that joe biden and Kamala Harris are president and Vice President of the United States. After so much confusion and fear and anger throughout the day, it was a really good place for us to say, yes, and now we will do our duty. We dont know at what hour of the night, but we will certify the election, and tomorrow will be a now day. I gave tabitha a big hug and a kiss. And i said, im so sorry and i dont know how im going to make it up to you, but i promise its not going to be like this again when you come back to the capitol. And she said, i dont want to come back to the capitol. And you know, for some reason, of all those terrible things im seeing, that just struck me to the core. I mean, she says she doesnt want to come back to the place where i work, the capitol of the United States. There was really nothing i could say at that point. I see a group of people chanting and yelling. The energy in this in this circle of people is volatile. And i look in the circle, and people are destroying these ap press cameras. And im scared. Like, i like, theyre this is an attack on the press. This is an attack on media. And im holding this bigass camera. As soon as they get done destroying this film gear, are they going to turn around and look at me and target me . See you later, fake news and we start hunting them down one by one i take one photograph of a group of people, and this woman turns around and goes, who are you shooting for . Then she yells, antifa photographer, antifa which is a Death Sentence in that crowd, pretty much. And within just seconds, four large men, one with no shirt on with an ax handle, surround me. I put my hands in the air. And i say, i work for national geographic. He goes, prove it he has this stick. I pull my press card out and i hold it up, and i dont move. And he leans in and he goes, oh. He goes, oh, okay, thats cool. Im thinking, hes thinking giraffes and zebras, national geographic. Im thinking, let me get the hell out of here. Curfews going into effect across washington, d. C. After this extraordinary day of violence at the u. S. Capitol. We are now completely surrounded on this side of the Capitol By Federal Authorities and a very Large Police Presence at this point. We just heard the second announcement go off over the intercom telling people to clear the area, that the curfew is now in full effect and if they fail to do so, that they will be arrested. I see officers in different uniforms, different tactical gear. The fact that they were there, the fact that these agencies sent their men and women to our nations capitol to support our brothers and sisters at the United States Capitol Police it was an amazing sight to see. I spoke to just what these Police Officers stand for. It wasnt about their political views. It wasnt about, you know, we agree or disagree with the views of the people who were inside. It had nothing to do with that. And i will just be forever grateful to them for the assistance they provided. Im just Walking Around the building, thinking to myself, people died in here, man. Like, people died in here. And im looking around, and im seeing all the carnage inside of this building. Theres officers still laid out on the floor. You know, you know hurting. Bleeding. Some of the officers, you know, didnt recognize right away until they took off their helmet. They didnt say much. Kind of just looked at each other. A head nod. Kind of just thinking, what the hell just happened . You know, its hard to process. One guy broke down, started crying. You know. Hes like, i dont know how much more i could have took i could have taken. We all get together, and my one sergeant, he says, if anybody tries to tell you that you guys didnt do your job today and didnt fight like hell and hold your ground, you can tell them to talk to me. I walked into Statuary Hall where many of my Capitol Police buddies were at that day, resting after the long, extended fight that we saw them take on. And i just went up and said thank you to as many as i could. He was going around, he was asking them what they had experienced. And they were very upset. They were very they felt outnumbered and not well equipped. And didnt get reinforcements. And one officer didnt shake his hand. And my colleague said, did you see that . And i said, yes, and thats okay. We are a republican member, and they viewed this as people from my party coming and attacking them. And that was very emotional for them. Its this moment of guilt, of these people physically sacrificed themselves to make sure that i was safe and the members of this institution were safe. I was safe. I get to come home to my family tonight because of these people. woman 2 you know its from the most reliable 5g network in america . woman 1 you know you can get up to 10 times the speed at no extra cost . vo when it comes to your business, not all bars are created equal. So switch to verizon, the most reliable 5g network in america, and get the unlimited plan that your business deserves. On the Network America relies on. Okay everyone, our mission is complete balanced nutrition. Together we support immune function. Supply fuel for immune cells and sustain tissue health. Ensure with twentyfive vitamins and minerals, and ensure complete with thirty grams of protein. Today was a dark day in the history of the United States capitol. To those who wreaked havoc in our capitol today, you did not win. Violence never wins. We must and we will show to the country, and indeed to the world, that we will not be diverted from our duty, that we will respect our responsibility to the constitution and to the american people. I recognized the courage of the Vice President , all of us, all of our members. It was a very dangerous situation. So its not just, well, now were all safe. The scars of that threat and the trauma it caused are present in the room. Madam speaker, i rise in opposition to the objection im listening to the debate on the house floor. Witnessing at that moment the most raw and Emotional Energy ive seen in my entire career. This is the first moment of us as a nation trying to recover. We are all americans. Not americans r, not americans d. We are americans. We returning here to complete the work we were sent to do, we are proving that our democracy cannot be disrupted by criminal behavior. We will not falter, we will not bend, and we will not shrink from our duty. And then there is this shift that occurs. And it is so noticeable, because all of a sudden, after a few speeches, things click back into its usual ways. Madam speaker, i rise to claim time in support of the objection. I rise to support the objection. I rise in support of the objection. The challenges continue. And i say, quote, youve got to be fucking kidding me. After all this theyre going to challenge the results . Theyre going to continue with the big lie, with the Conspiracy Theories . Theyre still going to do this . Madam speaker, i rise in ob sister to the objection. I beseech the republicans to recognize what theyre doing, to give up this idea that this wasnt a fair election. I you know, im not the same young man i was when i went to iraq. And so you know, i im willing to do a lot for my country, and i did a lot for my country. I just never realized that, you know, the my biggest the biggest threat to my country would come from my colleagues and from other u. S. Citizens. I watched some of my colleagues on the floor argue the same Talking Points they had planned prior to this happening. And thats the thing that compelled me to go down and give to give my speech and the certification. For the last few years, misinformation and fear has been fed into people for profit and power and for too many years, leaders around the country said nothing and sometimes echoed those messages because of the belief that winning no matter the cost was worth everything. It is nothing but utter silence from my side on the floor. It hit goes me at that moment, these people havent changed their mind. It wasnt complicated for me. I had to stay true to myself. I said to myself, i says, im not going the allow people, whatever the number was that were inside the capitol take day, that did what they did that day, to affect how i would vote. I want to be able to go home and put my head on my pillow and sleep, you know, with a clear conscious. So i objected to pennsylvania. Those were the only two states, by the way, arizona and pennsylvania. I vote to certify the Arizona Election and i walk out those center doors of the House Chamber and into the rest of the capitol for the first time that night. Im seeing Cigarette Butts put out on the statues and thrown on the floor, water bottles, paraphernalia, trump flags, and i get on my hands and knees and start cleaning up. And at first i come across this piece, just gold foil, very light plastic, and i see this. At first, not positive what it is but it looks like a wing, and im continuing to clean and i come across the rest of it. And i see the figure of this broken eagle, and i hold it in my hands as if it is an injured animal. Theres something about this that embodies for me the entirety of january 6th. The votes for president of the United States are as follows. Joseph r. Biden jr. , of the state of delaware, has received 306 votes. Donald j. Trump of the state of florida has received 232 votes. The announcement of the state of the vote by the president of the senate shall be deemed a sufficient declaration of the persons elected president and Vice President of the United States. The purpose of the joint session having concluded pursuant to Senate Concurrent Resolution 1, 117th congress, the chair declares the joint session dissolved. At the last gavel my heart was broken because so many republicans voted against the will of the people after they had seen death, destruction, harm done to people, an assault on the capitol, on our constitution and our congress, our democracy. But theres a relief that for the moment this is over and the election has been certified and the constitution worked and joe biden is going to be the president of the United States of the United States in two weeks. That felt good. That felt really good. As im driving home i am thinking to myself about the question, is this the beginning or is this the end. Is this the country falling apart or by doing our duty, despite all of the ugliness of that day, were we helping to bring the country together . I still dont know the answer to that question. I pulled up in front of my house and i go through the front door, and i sit on my recliner and i just stare. I just i just stare off, and i broke down. I cried. All of that fear and anger, all of it just came out that moment. And i got myself together and January 7th Everything was different, nothing was the same. At least not for us. I was born in a communist country. I spent my Career Working in or around countries where people struggle, risk their lives for democracy, for the chance to enjoy the rule of law. I think the demons are always out there, and if we dont do everything in our power every single day to defend the system that we take for granted, then we can still lose it. The only thing necessary for evil to exist is for good men to do nothing. People all over this nation depend on us, whether it is Law Enforcement, whether it is the military, whether it is lawmakers, to live by our oath to up hold the constitution, the rule of law and protect our democracy. Im driving home finally and thank my officers. Self, how do i how do i explain to a spouse or a girlfriend, a boyfriend, their children that their husband, their mother, their wife, their son, their daughter was hurt because of something i may have not have done . I think what makes it worse for these officers is the perception and probably truth that about a third of the country doesnt believe it ever even happened and doesnt believe that their Service Counts as something. That takes a massive emotional toll, and thats why i think it is important for history to show how brave these people were. I go to get on the airplane to fly back to michigan and there are a handful of members of congress on the plane. Everybody else is from the rally. Everybody else is from the mob, and they are celebrating and we are just sitting with our heads down, overhearing for the onehour flight from washington to detroit this Mob Recounting the whole day from their perspective. It is awful. But i cannot forgive or forgot is the trauma that was caused seeing the eyes of my staff, these young idealistic people, for the trauma that they had experienced and the posttraumatic stress that they will be experiencing. Those scars run deep. You can repair the building, but it is very hard to ease the trauma that people have experienced. Im driving up from washington back to new jersey and i see my kids running up to me for the very first time, and the younger one just scampers around. He is just prancing and hes at that age, 3 years old, but my older son, 5 years old, he comes up to me. Hes walking up to me, contemplative, and he says, dad, are you okay . Did something happen at work . And i just i just dont think i experienced words as piercing as that ever in my life. Did something happen at work