“I didn’t know if I could make it through that alive day,” New York Democratic MP Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said on Instagram Live on Tuesday. “It is no exaggeration to say that many, many members of the Chamber were almost killed.”
But with only a week to go before the opening, all security efforts focused on future planning, giving little scope for investigations to look back and decipher how security was breached and what went wrong.
“It is clear that metal detectors would not have prevented the violent acts that we have seen; this political maneuver does nothing to improve the safety of members at the Capitol complex,” Boebert said in a statement to CNN after the strife.
Republican Party representatives Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma and Steve Womack of Arkansas shouted at the Capitol Police when they were forced through metal detectors. Womack shouted, “I was physically restrained,” and Mullin said, “It’s my constitutional right” to come by and “they can’t stop me.”
Pelosi on Wednesday proposed a new rule that imposes heavy fines on members who refuse to follow the new security rules. Fines – which will be deducted from members’ salaries – will be $ 5,000 for the first offense and $ 10,000 for the second offense.
“It is tragic that this measure is necessary, but the House of the People’s Chamber must and will be safe,” said Pelosi in a statement.
But even some Democrats are dissatisfied with the extra security because it has led to longer lines and members being forced to stay less than two meters from each other.
“I am more likely to die from Covid because I beat a colleague than because a colleague shot me,” Texas Democrat Representative Filemon Vela told CNN.
Security mistrust
“There were those acts of heroism, but in addition, there were also betrayal attacks,” said Ocasio-Cortez. “And running for the nation’s Capitol and not knowing if an officer is there to help or harm him is also very traumatic.”
Democratic Congressman André Carson of Indiana also shared how law enforcement failed him because he had to learn from press reports about court cases that he was the target of a man accused of bringing bombs and an arsenal to Capitol in last week. Prosecutors found Carson’s name in a handwritten note held by Lonnie Leroy Coffman, whose truck was parked near the Capitol for hours last Wednesday and contained guns and bombs. Beside Carson’s name, the note said: “one of the two Muslims in the House of Representatives”. Carson is a Muslim.
“It is extremely worrying to learn from press reports that I was one of several individuals identified on a list of ‘good guys’ and ‘bad guys’ targeted,” said Carson in a statement provided to CNN. “As a former police officer, it is especially disappointing to see the failure of police officers, including the United States Capitol Police, to notify individuals like me who were targeted and were at risk from the accused terrorist and his co-conspirators.”
Little information from the investigation so far
As all eyes are on preparations for the inauguration, there is still little information about the ongoing investigation into the collapse of intelligence that took until January 6, giving members space to start raising their own theories about what happened .
Democratic MP Mikie Sherrill said on Facebook Live on Tuesday that she believes members of Congress led protesters around the Capitol the day before the onslaught.
“I saw it on January 5, an acknowledgment for the next day,” said the New Jersey Democrat. “Those members of Congress who incited this violent crowd. Those members of Congress who tried to help our president undermine our democracy. I will see to it that they are held accountable and, if necessary, to ensure that they do not serve in Congress.”
After his comments, Sherrill told reporters on Capitol Hill that he is requesting an investigation into these allegations.
“We are requesting an investigation now with certain agencies,” Sherrill said on Wednesday.
Until more details about what happened are known, members continue to publicly expose their complaints about the investigation.
“I’m frustrated, extremely frustrated that we didn’t have these briefings, not just us, but for the American people. What happened, where it broke, what we know, what we are learning from it, you get more briefings, from a local theft than what we have in this, “said Schneider.
“I participated in conversations and reports within the Democratic caucus. We did not have a complete briefing. We cannot have a classified briefing, at least I am not, I do not have the technology to be part of a classified briefing, so I have not been part of that.”
A senior Democratic aide echoed to CNN, “For every suspicious package on Hill, I will receive 10 emails in real time. So when it comes to the biggest security breach in recent times, we hear very little.”
This story was updated with further developments on Wednesday.
FIX: An earlier misspelled version of this article from Rep. Mikie Sherrill’s surname.
CNN’s Daniella Diaz and Manu Raju contributed to this report.