1/Hi.Former Senate/House staffer here. Let's talk about access to the Capitol & congressional office bldgs. The world is rightly shocked that the Capitol was so easily overwhelmed. There will be an inquiry-good. But, I thought some addt'l context might be interesting 4 folks

2/In normal, noncovid times, congressional office bldgs are open to the public. Most doors are unlocked & you go thru airport-style screening w/several officers at each door.

3/As long as you enter peacefully & clear security (no weapons, obvi), you're allowed in. You can even be dressed in a way that signals you're clearly planning to protest. As long as you are peaceful, you can enter.

4/Most protesters enter peacefully, then immediately start demonstrations once inside. It's time-honored DC political theater. Cops, Hill staff & organizers all know the drill. I loved watching it - democracy at work! (except the year a bunch of folks stripped naked)

5/This "peaceful through security, protesting upon entry" method is how the Kavanaugh protesters got in. It's how CodePink does it. It's how the pro- & anti-immigration grps do it. Pretty typical, uneventful stuff. Sometimes inconvenient & disruptive for staff. Rarely dangerous.

6/Entry to the Capitol is much more restricted. You either need to go thru heavy doors & security in the Capitol Visitor Center, or you need a staff/press badge or appointment to enter directly into the Capitol, which has narrow doors & robust officer presence & screening.

7/It's possible 2 enter Capitol via tunnels from the office bldgs, but this requires staff badge, escort, or special pass obtained only after addt'l screen. Tunnels are dark & hard 2 navigate (a Belarusian activist once told me they reminded her of the Gulag) You'll pass police.

8/In normal, noncovid times, it's theoretically possible an angry mob could enter congressional office bldgs peacefully, then commence w/destruction. It's maaaybe possible this mob could swarm thru the tunnels, overwhelm police & gain Capitol access. Seems unlikely.

9/I'd hope/assume that at the point a mob is rushing thru office bldgs toward the tunnels to the Capitol, back up would be called to meet them in the tunnels?? I'm speculating since I don't know protocol, but it seems logical based on the police responses I've seen on the Hill.

10/In normal, noncovid times & during covid, esp on a day when demonstrations were expected, THERE IS NO POSSIBLE SCENARIO in which an angry mob shld be able to directly enter & overwhelm the Capitol. Even IF doors are unlocked, you can't fit more than a few people thru at a time

11/Which leads to my conclusion: what happened on Weds was INSANE. A lot more insane than most realize.

I want to state for the record that in 15 yrs, most Cap cops have been kind & professional. I'm not insinuating widespread conspiracy. Just saying we DEF need answers.