On this episode of The Siren Podcast, Jo is joined by Democratic Representatives Jason Crow (CO-06) and former Representative and current Congressional candidate Tom Malinowski (NJ-11), to reflect on the state of country 5 years since January 6th, their experiences during the events, and their hopes for the future.
Both Reps. Crow and Malinowski were trapped on the House floor that fateful day, where they prepared to potentially face a mob of thousands of violent insurrectionists attempting to overthrow American democracy to keep Donald Trump in power, against the will of the people.
Thanks to the Herculean efforts of the Capitol police officers (like The Siren’s very own Harry Dunn) and others who lured away and defended against the insurrectionists, democracy did not come to an end that day, and lawmakers were able to safely certify the election later that night.
As Rep. Malinowski said during this episode, “The moment they gave us the all clear and the blood was off that floor, we would go back into the House Chamber and finish the job so that the rioters wouldn’t win. And we did that. And I remember the feeling of determination and anger and pride I had that we had in fact won that night.”
During this episode, Jo mentions a now famous picture of Rep. Crow that was taken during the coup attempt, where Rep. Crow can be seen preparing to don a gas mask while simultaneously assisting fellow members of Congress. While a violent mob was storming the Capitol, breaking windows, desecrating office buildings, and stealing whatever wasn’t nailed to the floor, Rep. Crow felt his training and experience serving in the U.S. military come rushing back to him.
As. Rep. Crow describes during today’s episode: “I never thought having served three combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan as a paratrooper and ranger that I’d have to draw upon those skills as a member of Congress in 2021 and go into “ranger mode.” I said at the time, I had to lock the doors and assess, egress and escape routes and ask my fellow members to take off their pins so they wouldn’t be identified in case the mob broke through the barricades.”
“And I remember grabbing my ballpoint pen, which is the only thing that I had available to use as a weapon if I needed to.”
Thousands were charged with crimes relating to January 6th. But on the first day of Donald Trump’s second term, Trump granted blanket clemency to more than 1,600 people convicted of or awaiting trial or sentencing for offenses related to January 6th, including those who committed violent crimes against Capitol police officers. Trump did this while calling himself the “back the blue” president.
Today, the official White House website lists a staggering revisionist history “account” of the events of January 6th, where those who violently stormed the capitol are called “patriots,” and the 2020 election is repeatedly called “stolen,” even as Trump lost more than 60 court cases challenging the election results. Almost all of these lawsuits failed due to a lack of evidence.
This is an episode you won’t want to miss. All this and more, right here on The Siren Network.
