Thread by @jeffjarvis

Watching right now. My Rep, @Malinowski, begins by recounting Jan. 6.

https://twitter.com/Klonick/status/1348389544186552320

Yow. @Malinowski came to the Capitol to thank police there. One said he is also in the Army National Guard and that men in his unit this week said they thought Jan. 6 was "a fake."

.@Malinsowski said the mistake is too common in history: not believing people will do what they say they will do.

.@Malinowski said he had been checking the windows and reassuring his colleagues in the gallery: This place is a fortress; they won't get in.

.@malinowski says the gas masks that were issues make "a little siren sound," so there were a hundred sirens in the room. The chaplain got up to prayer and this made Tom realize "there was shit going down."

Just one officer escorted @malinowski and about 50 members. There was no plan. They went to a cafeteria and then to a committee room, where they spent the afternoon.

Asked whether members of Congress could have died, @Malinowski said in the moment it did not feel like that but learning what he has learned since it as close. The people came not to go after thing but after people, he says.

"The QAnon caucus was there not wearing masks," said @Malinowski. That is the first time I've heard them called that and it could not be more accurate.

"We are going back in that goddamned chamber the moment the blood is wiped off," @malinowski said he and others told leadership. McConnell felt that way "and virtually every other sane person."

"I do believe this is the wakeup call we needed. And it could have been much worse.... I sense that among a lot of members." - @malinowski.

"We have dozens of Republican members in the House who are least struggling with this in their minds, with their consciences." - @Malinowski

"I didn't watch the president's statement. I am so past beyond thinking he will say the right thing.... It felt like a hostage video." - @Malinowski

"This is a beast they have been feeding or it is going to feed on them." - @malinowski on the House Republicans.

This is the source of my @Malinowski tweets: a sobering and wise conversation with @benjaminwittes and @Klonick here:

https://twitter.com/benjaminwittes/status/1348298797953200130

"They're scared. They're caught in a vice of accountability on two sides. They're scared of the monster on the right that they fed." They're frightened not just of being primaried but of physical danger. - @RepMalinowski on the Republicans.

"They're scared of the righteous fury right now of mainstream America." - @Malinowski on the GOP.

"They're not going to get their book contracts. They're not going to be able get their jobs. They're worried about that. They're trying to define that kind of accountability as wrong." - @Malinowski