{"id":350,"date":"2021-05-10T21:24:00","date_gmt":"2021-05-11T01:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magazine.alumni.ncsu.edu\/?p=350"},"modified":"2021-05-10T21:24:00","modified_gmt":"2021-05-11T01:24:00","slug":"eye-of-the-storm-a-firsthand-account-of-the-capitol-riots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magazine.ncsu.edu\/2021\/eye-of-the-storm-a-firsthand-account-of-the-capitol-riots\/","title":{"rendered":"Eye of the Storm: A Firsthand Account of the Capitol Riots"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I didn\u2019t know how it was going to end.
\u2014 Leigh Ann Caldwell \u201900<\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Leigh Ann Caldwell \u201900 is a congressional correspondent for NBC News. She spends her days in the U.S. Capitol, covering the Senate and House, policy and politics. On the morning of Jan. 6, Caldwell headed to work before sunrise to cover the certification of the Electoral College votes electing Joe Biden president. At the same time, thousands of supporters of President Donald Trump gathered near the White House for a rally to protest the votes. She was ready for a long day. But she didn\u2019t know what was in store. We sat down with Caldwell a few weeks after the siege. This is her story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/a>
The U.S. Capitol campus, spread out over 270 acres, includes not just the iconic Capitol Building, but also a series of congressional office buildings connected underground by a labyrinth of tunnels. The map above shows the proximity of the Cannon House Office Building to the Republican National Committee Headquarters. A bomb threat to the party office meant that Cannon, where Caldwell was stationed, was first to be evacuated. Source: ontheworldmap.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Jan. 6, 2021. 6:30 a.m.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Caldwell, a former distance swimmer for NC State, normally rides her bike to work. But on this day, she didn\u2019t want to be biking among the protesters. She packed a breakfast of almonds, a grapefruit and hot black tea in a thermos. An Uber picked her up.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the way there all the streets kept getting blocked off. We were running late, and then the car got a flat tire. It was 6:30 in the morning. The crowds were already starting, tons of maskless people with Trump flags. I finally got another Uber. We went straight down Independence [Avenue]. In the middle of all that, I lost my congressional ID to get into the Capitol. I had to call one of our producers, who lives just a block and a half away, she\u2019s literally in her pajamas. She runs out in the freezing cold and escorts me into the Capitol. And then I make it to where I was to be stationed the rest of the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Leigh
Leigh Ann Caldwell \u201900 in the rotunda of the Cannon House Office Building, a setting for many of her live shots.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. Capitol complex consists of not just the domed Capitol building, but also other buildings that house offices for senators and representatives, all connected by underground tunnels that are frequented by lawmakers, their staffs and journalists. Caldwell was stationed in the Cannon House Office Building, planning to do her live shots from that building\u2019s rotunda.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was already crowded, lots of cameras and reporters. My first live shot was for NBC News NOW, which is our streaming service. They put me on at 7:30 a.m. We had two other correspondents, Kasie Hunt and Garrett Haake, both in the Russell Office Building. We had three on-air correspondents that day because we also had three broadcasts. A lot of programming. I had more live shots at 9 a.m. and at 10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n