In Emotional Video, Rep. Dean Phillips Recounts Attack On Capitol

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rep. Dean Phillips on the U.S. House floor Thursday recounted his personal experience of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol before issuing an apology to his non-white colleagues.

Phillips, a Democrat who represents Minneapolis' western suburbs, was inside the House chamber as rioters flooded the building during the insurrection.

"We know the sound of the breaking glass. Of the screams. And of the furniture being moved in front of the doors. We know the feeling of being trapped in this room and believing that being taken hostage may be the best-case scenario," Phillips recounted.

"We know what it feels like searching for something, anything, with which to defend ourselves. And realizing a pencil is about all we have."

Amid the chaos, Philips said he told fellow Democrats to "follow me across the aisle to the Republican side of the chamber so that we could blend in."

Philips thought that the rioters would spare him and others if they mistook them for Republicans.

It was at that moment when Philips says he realized his privilege. "Within moments I recognized that 'blending in' was not an option available for my colleagues of color."

Phillips apologized for not realizing his white privilege, noting that "it took a violent mob of insurrectionists and a lightning bolt moment in this very room. But now I know."

"Believe me, I really know."

Watch the full speech below: