Newsweek - USA (2021-02-12)

NEWSWEEK.COM 29

Capitol. The alert unnerved me, but this
is the Capitol, and threats are common.”

1:44 PM: 8 lloa of The Boston Globe
tweets from inside the Capitol Rotun-
da “...we could hear TrumpŠs supporters
cheering outside after senators walked
back to their chamber from the +ouse...”

1:44 PM: Rep. Nancy Mace R-SC
tweets “-ust evacuated my ofɿce in
Cannon due to a nearby threat...”

1:45 PM: Sarah )ortinsky of CNN tweets
a video taken from a Capitol building third
ʀoor window looking west, with protesters
now at the top of the steps and thousands
more covering Pennsylvania Avenue,
spilling out onto the National Mall “A s
protestors began storming the Capitol.”

1:49 PM: Commander of the '.C. National
uard Major eneral William -. Walker
speaks to 8 SCP Chief Sund, who reTuests
immediate National *uard assistance.

Neither General Walker nor Mayor
Bowser has the authority to activate
their troops. That authority legally
rests with the President, who uniquely
commands the D.C. National Guard.

1:53 PM: SlateŠs Newell tweets of still
contained crowds in front of the Supreme
Court in front of the Capitol, seemingly held
back by barriers “Not bad on east side...”

1:55 PM: 'avid Begnaud of CBS
News tweets “Small number of Trump
supporters try to storm the 8 .S. cap-
itol and get stopped. 4 uickly.”

1:57 PM: The National Security Council
NSC tweets a routine meeting that White
+ouse National Security Advisor has with
8 .S. Southern Command head Admiral
Craig )aller. It says they discuss impor-
tance of /atin America and the Caribbean,
ongoing regional missions, counter-nar-
cotics operations, promoting democracy,
and outcompeting AmericaŠs adversaries.”

1:58 PM: +ouse Minority /eader Rep.
Kevin McCarthy R-CA tweets “Thank
you to Capitol Police for protecting the
PeopleŠs +ouse. Protesters have a Con-
stitutionally-protected right to be heard,
but I urge them to remain peaceful.”

2:00 PM: According to W 8 SA, the

CBS-afɿliated television station in Wash-

ington “It was around 200 p.m. when the

gates on the east and west sides of the

Capitol were breached. 2 n the east side,

there were about 10 8 .S. Capitol Police

ofɿcers that kept the chanting crowd at

bay at the bottom of the steps. )or four

minutes, thatŠs where they stayed, until

they were joined by more 8 .S. Capitol

Police ofɿcers, some in full riot gear.”

“Two minutes later, the insurrectionists

overtook the Capitol Police forcing them to

turn around and retreat toward the doors

of the Capitol. Seconds later, one insurgent

stood at the top of the Capitol stairs waving

a Trump ʀag. )or them, it was a sign that

they had sei]ed control of the steps.”

There were some 8 .S. Capitol Police

ofɿcers near those stairs, but they stood

aside, as pro-Trump rioters snapped

selɿes and continued to cheer.”

2:00 PM: The Pentagon says that at around

2 PM, '.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser reTuested

“more assistance.” It claims that Acting

Secretary Christopher Miller immediately

called up 1,100 members of the 'C *uard.”

Not so immediately. There would be

another two hours of deliberations before

D.C. National Guard actually arrived,

and many internal discussions about

the mission of the Guard: ɿrst, that it

would only support the D.C. Police, until

Miller and others relented in providing

direct support to the U.S. Capitol Police

and then authorizing Guardsmen to be

armed and use force if necessary.

2:02 PM: Igor Bobic of +ufɿngton Post

tweets “Press gallery staff alerting

reporters to the plan in the event that

protesters get into the Capitol....”

2:03 PM: Perry Stein of The Washington

Post tweets “(MTs just rolled out a man

in serious distress. 8 nclear if connected

to protests or medical emergency. 2 th-

er protesters cleaning eyes from what

they said is tear gas from police.”

2:03 PM: SlateŠs -im Newell tweets that

crowds, seeing the capture of the front

steps, are now breaking through distant

barricades in front of the Supreme Court

and /ibrary of Congress and rushing the

Capitol building “Things have changed.”

2:04 PM: Burgess (verett of Politico

tweets “Audio message plays in Cap-

itol building Stay away from windows

and doors. Kind of unsettling.”

2:05 PM: Bobic of +ufɿngton Post tweets

“... Apparently they just closed the iron

doors at the front of the Capitol.”

2:08 PM: /eigh Ann Caldwell of NBC News

tweets a video taken from a north-fac-

ing window in the Cannon +ouse 2 fɿce

Building of the Capitol front, where the

crowd has now taken control of the pla]a

and mounted the steps “This is whatŠs

happening at the steps of the Capitol,

which isnŠt allowed to have people.”

2:09 PM: Bobic of +ufɿngton

Post tweets “+ereŠs the view from

the east side of the Capitol.”

2:10 PM: The Washington Post reports

“After 210 p.m., a man in the crowd swung

a clear plastic riot shield to break through

ɿrst-ʀoor windows on the CapitolŠs south

side, making a hole big enough to climb

through. A stream of protesters pushed

in. Police said those ɿrst trespassers then

opened one or more doors to let more of

the swelling, chanting mob inside. Police

tried to disperse the group with pepper

balls and smoke bombs, but more peo-

ple came in behind those at the front.”

CHAPTER 5:

Capitol Breach