One House Rep’s brave tale from the Capitol Riot

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This time 24 hours ago I was getting ready to help certify the election. In preparation for the big day, I Zoomed with members of the Pennsylvania Democratic delegation and, in anticipation of working into the wee hours of the morning, packed a backpack with plenty of extra snacks and phone chargers. Then I slipped on my most comfortable Rothy's flats and headed to the Capitol. That seems like an eternity ago.

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It all felt business-as-usual until Capitol police sent a series of texts. The first was an alert about protestors. The second text said the Capitol’s external perimeter had been breached. The third warned of an interior breach

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I was scoping out where I could duck if I needed to when, all of a sudden, police shut the gallery doors, and barricaded and locked them. We were told to check under our seats for gas masks in a sealed bag, because tear gas would be used on the intruders. Below, on the House floor, people ran away. But we were up in the gallery with no escape. Rep. Diana DeGette leaned over the railing and shouted: “What about all of us?”

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I heard shouting from down below: "Get down! Get down!" So I got on my hands and knees to crawl through the gallery. Thats when people started making phone calls. Rep. Terri Sewell, who was next to me, called her husband and her mother, telling them both that she loved them. Rep. Jason Crow, who was behind me, phoned his wife.

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I need to talk to my kids, I thought to myself, because I may never talk to them again. I FaceTimed my 27-year-old son, Clay, and my 24-year-old daughter, Adrienne, to let them know I was staying as safe as possible and that I would be okay.

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