Lawmakers in dramatic photo of Capitol assault recount terrifying scene
The sound of voices and possible gunshots filled the halls of the U.S. Capitol Wednesday as pro-Trump rioters stormed the building, and Pennsylvania Representative Susan Wild worried she was not going to make it home.
"There was chaos and confusion," she said on "CBS This Morning" Thursday. "I had never been in a situation like that."
Wild and her colleagues were gathered in the House chamber to confirm President-elect Joe Biden's Electoral College victory when mobs overwhelmed the thin law enforcement presence and entered the building.
Representatives on the first floor of the chamber were evacuated. Lawmakers on the gallery floor were forced to take cover near their seats.
A dramatic photo taken during the incident shows Wild in distress, being comforted by Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado.
"Susan is my friend, and I was upset about the situation, she was upset about it" Crow told show co-host Gayle King. "And I did what I think any friend would want to do, and just let her know that I was there for her and we would get through it."
Crow, a former Army ranger, can be seen gripping Wild's arm as she lays on the ground. He said the photo shows the moment they were "trapped in the House chamber."
He said members on the gallery floor had begun to be evacuated when rioters broke in and surrounded the chamber, forcing them to begin barricading the doors.
"They were trying to ram down the doors, and we were at that point thinking we might have to fight our way out," Crow recounted.
While she hid, Wild said she asked her children to call her.
"I was afraid it would just terrorize them, but at the same time, if the worst happened, I didn't want them to have not have heard from me," she said.
Wild, Crow and others were then evacuated to the Ways and Means Committee room in the Longworth building.
She said a lack of social distancing and "an awful lot of unmasked members, Republicans who were specifically asked to put their masks on," added an extra layer of stress.
Despite only having hours to reflect on the situation, Crow said he was angry.
"I'm angry about the traitors who stormed the Capitol," he said. "They need to be brought to justice, and they need to be brought to justice fast."
The combat veteran said there was no question that President Trump's words incited the day's events.
"He is a violent man, he's an ill man, but this is not a story about Donald Trump anymore because we have known for many, many years who he is," he said. "This is really a story of the enablers, the members of Congress, the inner circle, the members who have allowed us to get to this point."