'Rip us limb from limb': House Dem releases footage of 'close encounter' with J6 rioters

Three years have passed since the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol Building.

Since then, hundreds of Donald Trump supporters who invaded the Capitol have faced felony or misdemeanor charges — and key members of the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys have received long federal prison sentences. Trump himself is facing two separate criminal indictments involving his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) has said that she feared for her life during the attack. But as disturbing as the January 6 insurrection was, it could have been much worse. Then-Vice President Mike Pence, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) and other targets of the insurrection were unharmed.

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Punchbowl News' Max Cohen reports that newly obtained footage "shows just how close rioters came that day to encountering a group of House Democrats on the third floor of the U.S. Capitol."

"In the security video," Cohen explains, "a group of House Democrats wearing safety hoods frantically rush out of the House gallery, ushered to safety by a U.S. Capitol Police officer. Thirty seconds later, three rioters enter the same hallway."

Rep. Annie Kuster (D-New Hampshire) told Punchbowl, "I've often wondered, 'What the hell would have happened?' I don't know, rip us limb from limb? You know, what are the zip ties and the bear mace all about? They were prepared to take members of Congress either hostage, or kill us right then and there, or at least make us go to the hospital so that we couldn't have come back to vote that night."

Kuster argues that the footage from three years ago is important to see in 2024 because Americans "need to understand the threat that Donald Trump poses to our democracy going forward." Punchbowl wrote that "Kuster’s office has had access to the video for over a year but decided to sit on it due to the jurisdiction of the Jan. 6 select committee and for security reasons. But after Speaker Mike Johnson released all of the J6 footage, Kuster thought it was time the close encounter was seen."

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The New Hampshire congresswoman told Punchbowl, "People are very focused on not allowing Donald Trump to be president of the United States ever again."

"They do not trust him to be acting in the best interest of our democracy," she added.

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Read Punchbowl News' full report at this link.