NEWSWEEK.COM 33
2:38 PM: President Trump tweets his
ɿrst acknowledgement of the riots
“Please support our Capitol Police and
/aw (nforcement. They are truly on the
side of our Country. Stay peaceful”
At 2:39 PM, independent reporter Brendan
*utenschwager tweets a video of protest-
ers breaking ɿrst ʀoor Capitol windows
and climbing up into the building.
2:39 PM: Sen. Seth Moulton '-MA
tweets “We are being told to shelter
in place not because of a foreign ter-
rorist attack but because of a domes-
tic coup attempt. I expected this as a
8 S Marine in IraT. I never imagined it
as a 8 S Congressman in America.”
Segers of CBS News writes “Senators
were on their phones, presumably calling
loved ones, as police ofɿcers eyed the
locked doors >in the Senate *allery@. At
one point, Senator Amy Klobuchar shouted
the chamber crack. I peeked into the
chamber as Rep. Markwayne Mullin
R- 2 K attempted to reason with those
attempting to push their way inside.
A loud crack split the air. It sounded
like a gunshot. And then it got Tuiet.
2 fɿcers yelled to the lawmakers in
the gallery to leave, but no one present
had a key to the door. /awmakers and
police ofɿcers argued about opening
the door and making a run for it. Police
wanted lawmakers to make a dash for it.
Members disagreed. ş'onŠt open that
doorŠ a representative shouted as an
ofɿcer in the hallway fumbled with the
door. şWe donŠt know who is behind itŠ
...Moments later, Capitol Police
wrenched open the gallery doors. They
told us to get out Tuickly. They were taking
us to a secure location. As we walked
toward the third-ʀoor stairs, I could see
several police ofɿcers standing over a
half-do]en rioters lying face down on the
marble, hands behind their heads.”2:45 PM: Bobic of +ufɿngton Post
tweets “Protesters are on the third ʀoor
of the Senate, walking door to door,
shouting şWhere the fuck are they"Š
şTheyŠre in the >Senate@ gallery.Š”2:45 PM: Casey -. Wooten of National
Journal tweets “Cap police trying to talk
to intruders in the other side of the door,
gunshots appear to be ɿred into the +ouse.”
“This is our America,” I can hear from
the holes in the +ouse ʀoor window.”At 2:50 p.m., ofɿcials conɿrm that a
shot was ɿred inside the building, later
reporting that a woman had been shot
and critically injured. The protester
was subsequently identiɿed as Ash-
li Babbitt, 35, of San Diego, who had
served 14 years in the Air Force with
deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan.2:46 PM: Nelson of the New York Post
tweets “There is a ɿght between Trump
protesters and Capitol Police outside
>Senator@ McConnellŠs ofɿce. It resem-
bles a last stand, but problem is that
protesters coming from all directions.”2:47 PM: Bobic of +ufɿngton Post
tweets from inside the Senate Chamber
“... 2 ne is up on the dais yelling şTrump
won that electionŠ This is insane.”SPECIAL REPORTthat there had been shots ɿred, urging
her colleagues to stay away from the
doors and take the situation seriously...”
Suddenly, senators began ɿling out to
be evacuated. Reporters were initially stuck
in the gallery on the third ʀoor overlook-
ing the chamber. New -ersey Senator
Cory Booker called up to the reporters on
the balcony, asking how we were doing. I
laughed, probably with a tinge of hysteria.
şWeŠre doing great,Š I called back down.
Reporters were shufʀed out of the
chamber and guided by Capitol police
ofɿcers alongside the senators to a secure
location after the Senate went into recess.”2:40 PM: Townhall.com reporter -u-
lio Rosas tweets a video from outside
the Capitol “Trump supporters chase
away the outnumbered Capitol Po-
lice and throw objects at them.”2:40 PM: Additional -ustice 'epartment
AT) agents enter the Capitol Complex. AT)
Washington )ield 2 fɿce director Bene-
dict, who was at one of the pipe bomb
scenes, activated the special response
team that was standing by and called in
every other available AT) agent to assist.2:41 PM: Nelson of the New York Post
tweets “Two 8 S Capitol Police were just
taken toward SchumerŠs ofɿce. They are
coated in a white substance. It appears
they were shot by ɿre extinguishers...”2:44 PM: Wire of the Los Angeles Times
later writes about the situation at the +ouse
chamber at around this time “...A few
lawmakers assisted plainclothes ofɿcers
grappling with a massive bookcase and
shoved it in front of the chamberŠs main
double doors, the same one the president
enters for the State of the 8 nion address.
Pounding on the door began.
The ofɿcers drew their guns.
2 ne looked up and saw the reporters
and about two do]en representatives
and staff scrambling over railings in the
upper gallery to get toward the doors.
şCrouch on the ʀoorŠ he shout-
ed. ş*et as low as you canŠ
I slid behind a row of chairs and looked
up as a female representative started to
pray. Another member was talking loudly
into his cellphone, providing a play-by-
play. Several lawmakers were crying.
I heard the glass of the main door in