Bay Area Lawmakers at U.S. Capitol During Riot Reflect a Year Later

Many Bay Area lawmakers were at the U.S. Capitol as it was overrun on Jan. 6, 2021.

On Thursday, as they reflected on that day, many said time has not healed wounds or political divisions.

Each one had some harsh words for what they called a lack of progress toward unity in the time since the insurrection, contrasting it to the national spirit in the wake of 9/11.

Rep. Eric Swalwell of Dublin said the Republican party leadership has chosen violence over voting by not condemning the U.S. Capitol riot, and as long as that continues, it's a threat to our democracy.

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"I was running with Republicans and Democrats," Rep. Eric Swalwell said. "We were both trying to get away from the mob. And I thought, 'Well, this is rock bottom.' This is an opportunity for us to use unity as we did 20 years before, as an antidote to the terrorism that the mob and former President Trump had aimed at the Capitol. And we never had that moment."

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"I have a mixture of emotions that are moving through me," Rep. Anna Eshoo said. "I have a deep sense of grief over what happened to our country and the struggle in the aftermath with the big lie and the divisions in our country."

In an interview Thursday morning, Rep. Barbara Lee of Oakland recalled initially being aware of "some security issues" before the full-fledged riot on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, that she called an attempted coup.

Many Bay Area lawmakers were at the U.S. Capitol as it was overrun on Jan. 6, 2021. On Thursday, as they reflected on that day, many said time has not healed wounds or political divisions. Robert Handa reports.