By Mary Clare Jalonick
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — Around three dozen Democrats were trapped in the House gallery on Jan. 6 after the rest of their colleagues had been evacuated, ducking beneath their seats as supporters of then-President Donald Trump laid siege.
The insurrection interrupted the certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s victory. The Democrats were unable to leave as rioters surrounded the chamber and tried to beat down the doors.
Capitol Police eventually evacuated the group unharmed, and Congress resumed the electoral count that evening. But many say the trauma of the experience lingers.
In interviews with The Associated Press, three of the lawmakers representing New England states who were there described their experiences in the House gallery and the aftermath:
New Hampshire Rep. Annie KusterRep. Annie Kuster, who sought treatment for post-traumatic stress, says the gallery group connects almost daily on the text message chain, which moved to an encrypted app after some members raised security concerns. “Sometimes it’s to get a ride to a vote. Sometimes it’s, ‘Who’s cooking, and can you bring a bottle of wine to a dinner together?’ And sometimes it’s talking about our treatment for trauma and how we can preserve our democracy.”
Kuster, D-N.H., was one of the first to be let out of the gallery on Jan. 6, escaping through the doors along with three other members just before the remaining lawmakers were locked inside. When Kuster’s group reached the hallway, a group of rioters was rushing toward them.
“We ducked into the elevator,” Kuster said. “And I said to this incredible policeman — I said, oh, my God, what if the elevator doors open, and they kill us? And I will never forget this moment … he said, ‘Ma’am, I am here to protect you.’ And he was there to protect our democracy.”
Eventually, Capitol Police determined the upstairs area was clear, even as insurrectionists kept trying to break through the doors below. The lawmakers and others were rushed out of the chamber and down a warren of staircases and hallways. When they left, they could see police officers holding five or six rioters flat on the ground, guns pointed at their heads.
The rioters were inches from the doors of the gallery.
Kuster says that one of the most traumatic things for her was not being able to see what was happening outside the chamber. They could only hear “the noises of the threat — the pounding on the door, the shouting in the hallways.”
“Honestly, we thought we were being chased (as we were evacuating). And my son called right in the middle of it as we’re running through the tunnels, and he says, ‘Mom! Mom!’ — he’s watching on television. And I said, ‘I’m alive, honey, I can’t talk right now, we’re running for our lives. I’ll call you right back. But I’m gonna be OK.’”
When she made it home two days later, she watched hours of video from the insurrection, including harrowing footage from the police battles outside the building. It only compounded the trauma.
“I remember my husband coming in, and I was just sobbing,” Kuster said. “And he was holding me, saying, ‘I don’t know if this is the best thing for you to see.’”
“But we have to — we have to acknowledge the reality of what happened that day. And what’s challenging for us is that we are both victims and witnesses to the crime on our country.”
Vermont Rep. Peter Welch“A police officer came to the floor and told us the Capitol had been breached and to get out the gas masks. In my time in Congress, I’ve never, ever heard anyone other than a member or a clerk speak (from the rostrum). To have a Capitol Police officer was stunning. … It was so unusual that I began to do some recording of what was happening. And it was partly a way of recording it, partly a way of just giving myself something to do when I was pretty scared about what was going on, and what’s going to happen here. And that video reflected the sobriety of the moment and just the uncertainty that all of us were facing.”
Connecticut Rep. Jim HimesRep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., says he has tried not to dwell on what happened. But he still has searing images in his mind, including watching police drag heavy furniture in front of the main doors to the House floor as the rioters tried to beat them down.
“We probably didn’t fully appreciate how violent it had gotten until the Capitol Police started moving furniture in front of the main door there. … In this world of massive security apparatus, it’s going to be a 19th-century desk in front of a door that saves my life? Are you freaking kidding me? And, I mean, seriously — I sat there thinking, oh, my God, you know, we spend billions and billions of dollars on satellites and guns and weapons and aircraft carriers and artificial intelligence. It’s gonna be a freaking desk that saves my life?”
As a member of the House Intelligence Committee, Himes says he spends a lot of time in high-security spaces — and before Jan. 6, he had assumed the Capitol was one of them.
“It was as though you were watching water flow uphill,” Himes said. “Something that you imagined was impossible is happening right in front of your eyes.”
As your daily newspaper, we are committed to providing you with important local news coverage for Sullivan County and the surrounding areas.