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‘Senate Being Locked Down’: Inside a Harrowing Day at the Capitol
Three New York Times journalists were at the Capitol when it was breached. Here’s how they experienced it.
Nicholas Fandos, Erin Schaff and
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WASHINGTON — Something was not right inside the Senate chamber.
Below the press balcony where I stood, looking down on the room like a fishbowl, Vice President Mike Pence had just been rushed out without explanation.
“We do have an emergency,” bellowed a police officer with a neon sash who had appeared in the middle of the chamber. Officers and doorkeepers raced around, slamming and locking the immense wooden doors. There were panicked cries for senators to move further into the room.
Senator Mitt Romney, Republican of Utah, threw up his hands in exasperation.
“This is what you’ve gotten, guys,” he yelled, referring to a dozen or so Republican colleagues who were challenging President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s victory, which Congress was meeting to affirm.
Now everything had ground to a halt and I had about 10 seconds to decide whether to run out or get locked in myself. I stayed, deciding I should keep my eyes on the senators I was there to cover, no matter what came next.
“Senate being locked down,” I texted my editor.
One minute later: “This is frightening.”
Senator Patrick Leahy, an avid amateur photographer, snapped a few frames. Senator Amy Klobuchar blurted out that shots might have been fired. A hush fell over the room and sirens wailed outside.
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