NewsU.S. and the World

Actions

Members of Congress tweet amid violent protests in US Capitol

APTOPIX Congress Electoral College
Posted at 7:39 PM, Jan 06, 2021
and last updated 2021-01-06 21:39:23-05

Amid the chaos as violent protesters stormed into the US Capitol on Wednesday, members of Congress and their aides had to take cover in undisclosed locations on Capitol Hill during the count of the Electoral College votes.

The violence led to a six-hour disruption to session.

Republican Sen. Ben Sasse said when session resumed, “I was with octogenarian members of this senate who needed to be stabilized by Capitol police as we went down the stairs to safety”

Meanwhile, members of Congress were tweeting during the Capitol takeover, letting followers and constituents know that they were safe. Getting them to safety took some effort.

Members of law enforcement were seen pointing guns from inside Capitol trying to keep protesters at bay while members of Congress fled.

Ultimately, there were no injuries reported from members of Congress or their staffs. But there was one fatality inside the US Capitol.

Among those who tweeted during the chaos was prominent Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.