Kind, Tiffany, Fitzgerald were in House chamber when riot started.
WASHINGTON – Wisconsin lawmakers Ron Kind, Scott Fitzgerald and Tom Tiffany were among those in the chamber of the U.S. House when the Capitol was stormed by a mob of Trump supporters Wednesday.
“I wasn’t too far from where officers were pointing guns at the door,” said Kind, the 12-term Democrat from La Crosse. “That’s when it hit me that this could turn into a bloodbath. These officers were prepared to fire.”
Kind said he was able to get to his office in a neighboring congressional office building by using a back staircase.
Republican Tiffany was there as well.
“I never felt like my life was threatened, but certainly concerned. It sounded like a battering ram hitting the door. When that starts happening that really gets your attention. I knew at that point it was getting much more serious and they were evacuating us at that point,” Tiffany said.
Also in the chamber was GOP freshman Scott Fitzgerald of Juneau, new to
Congress after serving for many years in the Wisconsin Legislature.
“It’s amazing that the security fell as far as it did, that they were able to make their way to the middle of that building. ... I just couldn’t believe it was happening,” Fitzgerald said.
“They first asked us to remain seated. They said there was a breach in security. Then they came, the Capitol police, they asked us to actually get down on our hands and knees behind the chairs in the chamber. I was looking at some other members like, ‘Are they serious?’
“Then they asked us to put on our (escape) hoods, which were located under the chair, which was another thing I didn’t know … because there had been tear gas popped in the building,” Fitzgerald said.
Fitzgerald said he was among other House freshmen who found a police officer to escort them to safety.
“He kind of escorted us into one of the cafeterias first, and then later into different ... locations,” Fitzgerald said.
“It was unbelievable, like something that you would see in a movie. I didn’t even understand it (as) I was going through it. I had no idea of the scope of what was going on.”
Kind said, “I hope nothing like that ever happens again. … Holy Christ.”