In their own words: House lawmakers remember Jan. 6

WASHINGTON – Around 3 twelve Democrats were trapped successful the House assemblage connected Jan. 6 aft the remainder of their colleagues had been evacuated, ducking beneath their seats arsenic supporters of then-President Donald Trump laid siege.

The insurrection interrupted the certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s victory. The Democrats were incapable to permission arsenic rioters surrounded the enclosure and tried to bushed down the doors.

Capitol Police yet evacuated the radical unharmed, and Congress resumed the electoral number that evening. But galore accidental the trauma of the acquisition lingers.

In interviews with The Associated Press, 10 of the lawmakers who were determination described their experiences successful the House gallery, and the aftermath:

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Vermont Rep. Peter Welch, who was posting video updates to Twitter:

"A constabulary serviceman came to the level and told america the Capitol had been breached and to get retired the state masks. In my clip successful Congress, I’ve never, ever heard anyone different than a subordinate oregon a clerk talk (from the rostrum). To person a Capitol Police serviceman was stunning. ... It was truthful antithetic that I began to bash immoderate signaling of what was happening. And it was partially a mode of signaling it, partially a mode of conscionable giving myself thing to bash erstwhile I was beauteous frightened astir what was going on, and what's going to hap here. And that video reflected the sobriety of the infinitesimal and conscionable the uncertainty that each of america were facing.”

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Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, seat of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack connected the United States Capitol:

“I didn’t rather cognize precisely the seriousness of it until I got a telephone from my wife, who said, ‘Where are you?’ I said, ‘I’m successful the Capitol.’ She said, 'Don't you cognize they're breaking in?' So you know, again, it doesn’t register. I said, ‘You can’t interruption in. I mean, there’s constabulary and barricades and a batch of things retired there.' She said, ‘But I’m watching radical climbing implicit the partition close now, breaking into the Capitol.’ And astir that time, idiosyncratic said, ‘Put connected the state mask.’”

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Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal, who was recovering from genu replacement surgery:

“It was terrifying. Somebody (in the gallery) was saying, ‘Do you person a key? Does anybody person a cardinal to the doors?’ Because we didn’t cognize if the doors could beryllium locked. And truthful I was focused connected readying my flight if I had to get out. I had stretched retired connected the crushed due to the fact that I couldn’t crook my knee. I’m not adjacent definite however I got from the seat to the crushed — I deliberation I rolled — and truthful I was stretched out, and I had my state disguise successful 1 manus and my cane successful the different hand. ... I wasn’t definite I could get up disconnected the floor, but I had a full program that I was going to whack an insurrectionist successful the genu with the state disguise and past whack them successful the different genu with the cane. That’s what I was acrophobic astir is, you know, were we going to get out? Were we going to survive? Were they going to travel aft us?”

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Colorado Rep. Jason Crow, a erstwhile Army Ranger who served 3 tours successful Iraq and Afghanistan:

“So I started to benignant of presumption this successful a tactical way. You request to get everyone together, request to get successful a antiaircraft position. You don’t privation radical dispersed out. You don’t privation radical to beryllium capable to beryllium pulled distant from a mob — you request to get successful a choky group. So arsenic we were moving to bash that, I heard the gunshot (that killed Ashli Babbitt, a Trump supporter). And of people I’ve heard a batch of gunshots successful my time, and it was precise wide what that was. And it came from the Speaker’s Lobby, which told maine — I didn’t cognize whether it was an serviceman oregon a subordinate of the mob, but I knew that things had severely escalated. ... It besides told maine that we were wholly surrounded."

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Florida Rep. Val Demings, erstwhile main of the Orlando Police Department:

“My constabulary vocation flashed done my caput due to the fact that I came from a occupation wherever I went to enactment each time reasoning I mightiness not marque it backmost home. I utilized to tidy up my flat oregon my location earlier I went to work, thinking, OK, if I’m killed today, past I don’t privation my co-workers coming into my location to get my cogwheel and spot it all. And truthful to beryllium determination successful that infinitesimal and reasoning — truly successful the midst of implicit chaos — I reserved myself to the information that, yeah, I could dice today. But I’m conscionable similar a cop. I’m present doing the close thing, protecting and serving my federation by being present for this process, a peaceful transportation of power."

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Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes:

"We astir apt didn’t afloat admit however convulsive it had gotten until the Capitol Police started moving furnishings successful beforehand of the main doorway there. ... In this satellite of monolithic information apparatus, it’s going to beryllium a 19th-century table successful beforehand of a doorway that saves my life? Are you freaking kidding me? And, I mean, earnestly — I sat determination thinking, oh, my God, you know, we walk billions and billions of dollars connected satellites and guns and weapons and craft carriers and artificial intelligence. It’s gonna beryllium a freaking table that saves my life?”

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California Rep. Norma Torres:

“I truly thought, we’re not going to beryllium evacuated. We’re going to dice here. And, you know, done that process — I deliberation a batch astir it now, (Democrats') positive 3 bulk ... They could astatine immoderate constituent instrumentality immoderate 3 members either hostage oregon termination immoderate 3 members, and that would person prevented america from certifying the election.”

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New Hampshire Rep. Annie Kuster:

“Honestly, we thought we were being chased (as we were evacuating). And my lad called close successful the mediate of it arsenic we’re moving done the tunnels, and helium says, ‘Mom! Mom!’ — he’s watching connected television. And I said, 'I’m alive, honey, I can’t speech close now, we’re moving for our lives. I’ll telephone you close back. But I’m gonna beryllium OK.'"

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New Jersey Rep. Mikie Sherrill, a erstwhile Navy chopper pilot:

“I retrieve the hallways were quiescent (when we were evacuating). I was listening truthful cautiously due to the fact that I was truthful acrophobic that we would crook a country and determination would beryllium the rioters ... cautiously benignant of looking astir corners arsenic we’re trying to egress the building. And listening truthful cautiously to perceive — is determination anybody up of us? Is this a harmless hallway? Has this been secured?”

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Illinois Rep. Mike Quigley:

“We’ve been told successful our information briefings that the threats person quadrupled. They cognize who we are. Our addresses are nationalist record. We each spell to nationalist events connected a regular ground successful the district. ... I deliberation there’s a consciousness that, if they privation you, they tin get you. But you person to bash the work, right? ... We had to spell backmost and ballot that nighttime due to the fact that you can’t fto these radical win. You can’t beryllium afraid. I don’t privation immoderate of them to deliberation I’m afraid. We’re going to proceed to function. If they privation to perpetrate acts of terrorism, I conscionable — I can’t fto that deter us.”

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