‘I was barricaded for several hours’: AOC and other Congress members tweet from lockdown during Capitol riot

One member of Congress shared a photo of himself in a gas mask evacuating the Capitol

Protesters storm the Capitol building in Washington D.C. (Richard Hall / The Independent )

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted out that she was "okay" as Congress was allowed to return to the US Capitol to continue counting state's electoral votes after supporters of Donald Trump stormed the building.

She tweeted that she "was barricaded for several hours," adding: "I'll tell y'all about it later."  

"For now, we must focus on task at hand: to preserve the integrity of our democracy, hold accountable those responsible for their attempts to subvert our nation's elections and shred our Constitution apart," she wrote.  

Ms Ocasio-Cortez later tweeted the word "Impeach."  

Her fellow "squad" mate Rep. Ilhan Omar is drafting new articles of impeachment against Mr Trump.  

"Donald J Trump should be impeached by the House of Representatives &removed from office by the United States Senate," she tweeted. "We can't allow him to remain in office, it's a matter of preserving our Republic and we need to fulfill our oath."

She also reported that she was safe following the chaos at the Capitol.  

"I am safe, but heartbroken about what we are enduring at our nation's Capitol," she wrote. "Running for our lives as Members of Congress in the United States is really devastating and totally shocking."  

Rep. Pramila Jayapal recounted her experiences as gas masks were deployed while rioters attempted to breach the Capitol.  

"I am safe and sheltering in place," she wrote. "I was one of a dozen Representatives in the gallery above the House floor. We pulled out gas masks and had to get down on the ground. Capitol police barricaded the doors and had guns drawn. We were eventually told that we had to quickly exit."  

Rep David Trone tweeted out that he was safe, and included photos of himself wearing a gas mask provided by the Capitol police as he was evacuated from the interior of the Capitol.

She blamed Mr Trump for putting the people inside the Capitol in danger.  

"I can't contain my rage at Donald Trump and Republicans who invited, incited, and fueled this terror. Our country and our democracy will have to recover from these deep wounds - and it won't be easy." she wrote.  

Rep. Cori Bush said she and her team were safe, and likened the experience to her being beaten during protests in St. Louis.  

"I can't believe domestic terrorists are roaming around inside the Capitol," she wrote. "I'm remembering being brutalised and treated like a domestic terrorist just for protesting to keep my people alive."  

Sen. Tom Cotton - who penned an op-ed in the New York Times advocating for the military to be used against Black Lives Matter protesters over the summer - echoed his sentiments about using troops against protesters in a statement he issued.  

“Last summer, as insurrection gripped the streets, I called to send in the troops if necessary to restore order. Today, insurrectionists occupied our Capitol. Fortunately, the Capitol Police and other law-enforcement agencies restored order without the need for federal troops," he wrote. "But the principle remains the same: no quarter for insurrectionists. Those who attacked the Capitol today should face the full extent of federal law."