'They Were Banging At The Doors' Rep. Correa Talks Capitol Scene

SANTA ANA, CA —In the wake of an insurrection that took place on Capitol Hill Wednesday, Santa Ana Rep. Lou Correa spent the afternoon and evening sheltering and reflecting on the events that led up to this pivotal moment in America.

Wednesday morning, Correa left his family at the Baltimore airport, sending them home. It would be a long day ahead, he knew, facing divisive commentary from across the aisle before certifying the electoral college votes.

And the divisive commentary ensued, as expected.

As the discussion on the Arizona votes came in, Correa stood on the House floor. That's when the mob stormed the Capitol with the intent of barging in, in an effort to disrupt the democratic process.

Correa talked to reporters about the experience, saying that inside that stronghold, Republican and Democratic colleagues joined together to hold the line.

"I looked up, hearing people banging on those chamber doors," he said.

"I saw something I never saw before. I saw Democratic congress members, Republican congress members joining hands and helping the more senior members of Congress evacuate, helping ladies in heels get through that area and getting ready to defend that castle in case of a breach. I saw unity, unity of purpose, unity of Americans."

Then, security advised the congressional members to take cover, and if they sensed tear gas, to not look up, Correa said.

"They said 'everybody gets out. We're about to use tear gas. There are tear gas masks under your seats,'" Correa said. "I never knew we had tear gas masks under our desks, but I looked, and there was a package. We grabbed one, and we're walking around with it. You could smell (the tear gas)."

As the mob attempted to push its way into the chamber, Correa said there was a sense that "we were ready to hold the line. I don't know what would have happened, but you saw Democrats and Republicans ready to kick some ass."

Correa said he saw security "grabbing very priceless desks, probably antiques, using them as reinforcement to stop the doors from opening and the guns were drawn everywhere."

Correa also added that he expects a push to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office.

"I don't think he meant to (unite Democrats and Republicans), but he has united us," Correa told the media.

He called on his congressional colleagues, such as Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, to "stop the fiery speeches. I would ask them in their conscience, what are you going to do now? Isn't it time to stop playing politics with these divisive themes that are essentially destroying the nation?"

Earlier in the day, on the train, Correa said he witnessed some of the president's supporters dressed in MAGA gear.

"They were very respectful, very quiet, just going to support the president," he said. "There must have been 60 or 70 of them."

Later, at the Capitol, speeches made by the president and his son "whipped up the crowd," according to Correa.

Still, there is work to be done. The congress has been called back to work Wednesday evening. Correa said he was "more determined than ever" to finish certifying the presidential election results.

Correa, a Democrat of the 46th district, says that he and his fellow congressmen returned as Americans, first. "I don't want to leave until we finish our job."

City News Service, Ashley Ludwig contributed to this report.