The US Capitol has been perceived for many years as one of the safest places in America for having its own police force and advanced security features. But one day, those would fail against a mob of Trump supporters that wanted to reverse the electoral college triumph of Joe Biden.
It was an insurrection that happened on January 6, 2021, dubbed as the worst attack on America's democracy since the Civil War. Some lawmakers who experienced it one year ago are still traumatized by the memory of the incident when they were trapped inside the House complex while rioters were trying to break down the doors.
These leaders feared for their lives. Some prepared themselves to fight. Some thought that it might be the end of their life.
Trapped In Fear
In an interview with the Associated Press, Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado's Sixth Congressional District recalled how deeply shaken he was by the chaos, where doors wear banged thunderously by the rioters.
"When I looked up, I had this realization that we were trapped. They had evacuated the House floor first. And they forgot about us, " shared Crow, a former Army Ranger who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Then there was a gunshot that dispersed a number of the aggressive mob. Rep. Peter Welch of Vermont, who was among trapped individuals in the gallery, thought the worse was yet to happen.
"I think all of us, myself included, had images of a mass-shooting event. It was terrifying at the moment," said Welch, who posted updates and images of the horrific incident on social media as it happens.
Excitement Becomes Terror
For Republican congressman Troy Nehls, it was supposedly an exciting day for him as he was just 10 feet away from Vice President Mike Pence, who was presiding over the ceremony in the House chamber where lawmakers assembled for the hearing of the certified election results from all 50 US states and territories as per CNBC.
However, hours later, the former sheriff would find himself helping set up barricades at the chamber doors against rioters who wanted to break inside the venue. Then he felt the doors tremble. Then the glass windows got shattered. Moments later, he was within a shouting distance from the storming rioters.
Being a man of faith, Nehls believes that there was a purpose why he was at the Capitol that time: to help hold off the mob. Something he attributes to "divine intervention," according to NBC News.
"One of the rioters said: 'You're from Texas. You should be with us.' ... And at that point I said: 'No, sir, I cannot support what you're doing. This is criminal," he recalled.
Since then, the Texas representative has committed to understanding better what caused the attack at The Capitol. He realized that day was not a day of "tourist activity," as some fellow Republicans have mentioned before.
"But I don't believe that many of the people that went inside that Capitol were there to harm law enforcement," Nehls said. "Some did, I don't dispute that, but I believe it was a small percentage."
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