Raskin's Chief of Staff used a fire iron to protect his daughter and son in law.

[Nevilledog]

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Tweet text:
Virginia Heffernan
@page88
·
Jan 8, 2021
Raskin’s COS used a fire iron to protect his daughter and son in law. My mind can’t process this.
Image

Virginia Heffernan
@page88
.@RepRaskin on the tasks of looking out for each other, the animals, and the global poor. He shows us all how to grieve. And act.

The Congressman Who Lost His Son and Fled a Mob
The day before the Capitol riot, Representative Jamie Raskin buried his 25-year-old son, who had left a note for his family on New Year’s Eve.
theatlantic.com
1:49 PM · Jan 8, 2021

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/01/jamie-raskin-capitol-attack/617609/

[Bluethroughu]

1. I want the Senators and Representatives in congress

That incited this insurrection expelled now. They are an enemy of this country. They are dangerous seditious traitors that put the REAL PATRIOTS EXECUTING DEMOCRACY, at risk of losing their lives, along with their families.

Disgusting.

[Evolve Dammit]

16. Agreed. Welcome.

[Bluethroughu]

18. Thanks.

[thecrow]

35. I'm in with that

[elleng]

2. 'While Donald Trump and his family threw a party to support this violent, seditious mob,

my kids were hiding under a desk.'

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/01/jamie-raskin-donald-trump-25th-amendment-impeachment?

[Ferrets are Cool]

3. This

[onecaliberal]

20. 🖕🖕

[crickets]

30. Wow, what Jamie Raskin has been through in just the last week.

How horrifying to go through the riot, but to be led away while your daughter is in the gallery, and then later to have her stuck hiding under a desk in Steny Hoyer's office... It's just unreal. Yet he is still there, faithfully carrying out the duties of his office on behalf the people. After all of the stress and lack of sleep, he gives the most clear, calm and cogent explanation of what has been happening, what needs to be done, and how it can be accomplished. He is brutally honest about the reasons why trump must be removed from office:

The reason this is all over the news right now is because we just saw the president of the United States inciting a mob that engaged in a violent insurrection and attempted takeover and perhaps a coup against the Congress of the United States while we were engaged in counting Electoral College votes and effectuating the peaceful transfer of power. It’s hard to think of a more egregious departure from the president’s obligation to faithfully execute the laws of the United States and to uphold the Constitution. [snip]

We have a president who is egging on violent, armed insurrection against the Congress of the United States in order to block the peaceful transfer of power. This president is either unable or unwilling to faithfully execute the laws and to uphold the Constitution. Therefore he cannot successfully discharge the powers and duties of office for the next 12 days. The public has no confidence, but more importantly here, the Congress, which is charged with making sure we are secure, has no confidence that this president can do it. Those Trump die-hard sycophants still out there will say this is some kind of partisan thing, but there is broad bipartisan consensus now that Donald Trump is a lethal danger to our republic. The only person who gets new power out of this [25th Amendment] is Vice President Pence, with whom I disagree about pretty much everything. But I do think that he is a sane person and has that basic respect for the Constitution. [snip]

But if this president had committed no other transgressions against the Constitution—and of course there have been dozens—addressing a rally of violent insurrectionists and inviting people to come to Washington and to get wild, with people who broke windows and entered the Capitol complex without going through a metal detector, that in itself would be an impeachable offense. That is a high crime akin to bribery and treason. It is essentially soliciting and aiding and abetting a violent attack on the people’s representatives.

Lot more, and well worth the read - thanks for the article link elleng. I knew little to nothing about Jamie Raskin before today, but I know about him now. I will not forget him.

[elleng]

31. Thanks, crickets.

I won't forget him either, especially as he's my OUTSTANDING representative.

((Thinking of sending him and his staff some sort of gift.))

[BeyondGeography]

4. What a read

Jamie Raskin is an incredibly formidable human.

[elleng]

5. Yes he is, and I'm pleased he's my Congressman.

[Hortensis]

15. He couldn't get to his family. He asked his chief of staff

to protect them, and it was she who was prepared to fight off insurrectionists with a fire iron.

[soldierant]

34. A true patriot ... and a national treasure.

[tymorial]

6. I can't even imagine his sadness and terror on Wednesday

My stomach hurts over this.

[stillcool]

7. that's a profile in courage

[blogslut]

8. Everyone should read that article

[Dem2theMax]

22. Agreed. Cannot imagine what he and his family are going through right now.

But how lucky we are to have him representing us.

[cannabis_flower]

9. What is a fire iron?

[LiberalArkie]

10. Used in a wood burning fireplace to move the wood

[kcr]

11. Another name for a fire poker

The long, pointed stick used to poke at a fire in a fireplace.

[trueblue2007]

12. My heart goes out to them. These poor people

[George II]

13. So glad HIS name is at the top of the Articles of Impeachment (with Lieu's and Cicilline's)!

[elleng]

32. YES!

[mcar]

14. This is heartbreaking

As the mob seized the Capitol, Jamie Raskin thought not of himself, but of his younger daughter, Tabitha, who had asked him not to go to work that day. “This is an essential constitutional moment,” he had told her. Rather than stay home, he proposed another idea: What if she came along?

When Raskin, the congressman from Maryland, rose to address the chamber around 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday, he received a bipartisan standing ovation. He peered around the room, patting his heart in gratitude. His fingers lingered over a torn black cloth affixed to the lapel of his gray suit jacket. The day before, Raskin had buried his 25-year-old son, who on New Year’s Eve left his family a note: Please forgive me. My illness won today. Please look after each other, the animals, and the global poor for me. All my love, Tommy.

On the House floor, Raskin quoted Abraham Lincoln, reminding his fellow lawmakers that they were there to carry out the will of the people, not the orders of one man. Minutes later, voices echoed through the Capitol’s marble hallways. Raskin heard what sounded like a battering ram slamming against the door. He and his colleagues were instructed to retrieve their gas masks. Guns appeared. The chaplain led the room in a prayer. Raskin’s mind flashed to Tabitha, 23, who, along with her sister’s husband, Hank, was seated in the second-floor gallery.

Raskin and the others on the House floor evacuated the building and made their way to a secure location, but spectators had to seek shelter inside the Capitol. Raskin’s chief of staff, Julie Tagen, led Tabitha and Hank to an office, where they hid beneath a table while insurrectionists overtook the building. A group of rioters repeatedly attempted to enter the room. Tagen stood guard next to the blockaded entrance, clutching a fire iron. “I asked her to protect them with her life, and she did,” Raskin told me.

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/01/jamie-raskin-capitol-attack/617609/

[Evolve Dammit]

17. Now that is what heroism looks like. Nothing like a fire iron upside of the skull.

[mcar]

25. You got that right

[Chemisse]

19. So instead of hiding, this woman stood guard by a door with a fire poker?

That is incredibly brave!

[wnylib]

29. The door was barricaded.

The aide had put something in front of the door to block it. The article excerpt says the rioters tried but could not get in. The fire iron was a just-in-case backup.

[Chemisse]

33. Yes, thank-you. I reread it right after and realized that.

I should have come back and changed my post.

[malaise]

27. Wow!

Horrific

Lock them all up

[mcar]

28. Yes!

[SergeStorms]

21. What an incredibly strong man...

to be at work for his country after the events of the past week. Hopefully he and his family can find peace.

[AllyCat]

23. This man just lost his son.

He really didn’t need this too. I hope he can find some peace soon and get time to heal.

[KewlKat]

26. Chief of Staff