12 Senators Describe What It Was Like as Rioters Stormed the Capitol on January 6 |
This article is part of TPM Cafe, TPM’s home for opinion and news analysis.
This is an exclusive excerpt adapted from “Storm at the Capitol: An Oral History of January 6th” by Associated Press reporter Mary Clare Jalonick. The book draws on personal interviews by the author, testimony, court documents and other public sources to compile a definitive account of the hours leading up to, during, and just after rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
This excerpt begins in the 2 p.m. hour, just after the first rioters had broken into the Capitol one floor below the Senate chamber. Almost the entire Senate was huddled inside as the people were coming closer and security officials debated what to do. Secret Service agents had already evacuated Vice President Mike Pence, who had been presiding over the debate on Arizona’s electors.
As the senators waited, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, received a call from the White House. It was President Donald Trump on the line — but he was looking for Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville, a loyal supporter who had just been elected. Trump had mistakenly dialed Lee’s number.
The quotes in this excerpt are taken from interviews with the author, court testimony, pool reports and other published and spoken accounts. The words of Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, are from a Feb. 20, 2021 article in The Salt Lake Tribune by Bryan Schott: “What Sen. Mike Lee told me about Trump’s call the day of the Capitol riot.”
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-AL: When he brought me the phone, it said “White House” on it. It was the president.
Sen. Mike Rounds, R-SD: And so I was sitting here, and Coach is right next to me. And the conversation—I’m only hearing one side of it, but it is “No, we’re not doing much right now. No. Well, there’s, you know, we can hear stuff outside. It’s—no, Mike, no, they just took him out. They’ve taken him out. No, well, I don’t know.” And there is a little bit of discussion back and forth. Basically there’s a lobbying effort going on. Coach wasn’t answering directly back.
Sen. Mike Lee, R-UT: I stood nearby for the next five or ten minutes as they spoke, not wanting to lose my phone in the middle of a crisis. Then the Capitol Police became very nervous and ordered us to evacuate the chamber immediately. As they were forcing everyone out of the chamber, I awkwardly found myself interrupting the same telephone conversation I had just facilitated. “Excuse me, Tommy, we have to evacuate. Can I have my........