Lawmaker reasons with Capitol rioters as situation escalated really quickly
Rep. Mullin said he warned rioters inside the Capitol that they could get shot by police
Rep. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma told "Cavuto: Coast to Coast” on Thursday that he warned rioters through the doors inside of the U.S. Capitol that they almost got shot by police and asked them “is it worth it?”
Mullin, who was inside the House chamber when the chaos ensued on Wednesday, described what happened inside the Capitol as pro-Trump rioters stormed in, interrupting the proceedings to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s College victory. He stressed that the situation escalated really quickly.
Mullin said rioters inside the Capitol started to “hit the glass with a glass puncher or a glass breaker, whatever you want to call it, and it sounded like gunshots and everybody started yelling, ‘Shots fired, shots fired.’”
“I jumped actually one time behind the chair because those chairs in the chamber are actually bulletproof, but then I quickly realized that those weren’t shots fired and that’s when all the Capitol police had pulled their weapons,” Mullin continued.
TWITTER, FACEBOOK LOCK TRUMP ACCOUNT FOR VIOLATING POLICIES, WARN OF 'PERMANENT SUSPENSION'
“I started saying, ‘Those aren’t shots, no shots, no shots, don’t fire, don’t fire’ because they [Capitol police] were about ready, rightfully so, to start shooting through the door.”
He said he then walked up to the door and “said, ‘Guys, you almost got shot is this worth it?’ and they were still yelling. I said, ‘You almost got shot. Is it worth it?’”
Mullin noted that at that time one of the rioters stopped beating on the door and he heard them talking, but then “one of the agitators came to the door” and was “keeping them stirred up.”
He said eventually the protestors “quit beating on the door and allowed the members in the chamber to start leaving” because many were still on the floor at the time.
Mullin credited newly elected Texas Congressmen Troy Nehls, a former sheriff, and Tony Gonzales for helping him.
Wednesday’s session quickly recessed as protesters violently clashed with police before storming the Capitol building and Vice President Mike Pence, who presided over the joint session, was rushed out of the building. All others were initially told to shelter in place and take cover.
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
Mullin said on Thursday that he believes the “heroes of this thing are the Capitol police.” He noted that a lot of Capitol police officers got injured and “were willing to literally put their life on the line to make sure I got home to my family.”
Mullin also said that he believes a lot more protestors could have been shot by officers on Wednesday and “they would have been in the right to do so” based on what he had witnessed inside the Capitol.
“I thought the United States Capitol Police and Sergeant at Arms used great restraint because a lot more of them [protestors] could have been shot,” Mullin said. “Unfortunately one lady did get shot and she lost her life and that officer did what he thought was best.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS
“I can tell you even at the door they showed great restraints not shooting all those individuals at the door going into the Senate chamber,” he continued.
Mullin stressed that “we had never dealt with this before in the United States Capitol since 1812” and that he thinks “the Capitol police did a phenomenal job with the resources and the training that they had.”
“Anytime you’re in a situation like this you go back and you do a strong debrief and there’s going to be lessons learned,” Mullin told host Neil Cavuto, noting that the officers were outnumbered and “it got out of hand really quick.”