Inside the mob that swarmed the US Capitol

Samantha Guff Deborah Brunswick
By Elle Reeve, Samantha Guff, Deborah Brunswick and Steve Almasy, CNN
Updated 10:37 PM EST, Thu January 7, 2021
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Pro-Trump supporters storm the U.S. Capitol following a rally with President Donald Trump on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. Trump supporters gathered in the nation's capital today to protest the ratification of President-elect Joe Biden's Electoral College victory over President Trump in the 2020 election. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
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Protestors storm the Capitol building during a joint session of Congress in Washington, DC on Wednesday, January 6, 2021. The joint session of the House and Senate was sent to recess after the breach as it convened to confirm the Electoral College votes cast in November's election. (Photo by Chris Kleponis/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images)
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Washington, DC CNN  — 

They came to Washington to protest an election they think has been stolen, and when violence began at the US Capitol, mob logic took over.

CNN spoke to people who stormed the building. They said they felt like they were doing something good.

“What are we supposed to do? OK?” a man who’d been maced by police said during Wednesday’s riot that saw the halls of Congress broken into, offices vandalized and five people die. “The Supreme Court’s not helping us, no one’s helping us. Only us can help us. Only we can do it.”

A rioter holds a Trump flag inside the US Capitol near the Senate chamber on Wednesday, January 6.
A rioter holds a Trump flag inside the US Capitol near the Senate chamber on Wednesday, January 6.
Win McNamee/Getty Images
Members of the DC National Guard stand outside the Capitol after the riots.
Members of the DC National Guard stand outside the Capitol after the riots.
John Minchillo/AP
Law enforcement officers point their guns at a door that was vandalized in the House chamber after the Capitol was breached.
Law enforcement officers point their guns at a door that was vandalized in the House chamber after the Capitol was breached.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
A rioter hangs from a balcony in the Senate chamber.
A rioter hangs from a balcony in the Senate chamber.
Win McNamee/Getty Images
Trump supporters cover their faces after tear gas was fired in front of the Capitol.
Trump supporters cover their faces after tear gas was fired in front of the Capitol.
Leah Millis/Reuters
A Trump supporter <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/07/us/capitol-confederate-flag-fort-stevens/index.html" target="_blank">carries a Confederate battle flag</a> in the Capitol Rotunda. During the Civil War, the closest any insurgent carrying a Confederate flag ever came to the Capitol was about 6 miles, during the Battle of Fort Stevens in 1864.
A Trump supporter carries a Confederate battle flag in the Capitol Rotunda. During the Civil War, the closest any insurgent carrying a Confederate flag ever came to the Capitol was about 6 miles, during the Battle of Fort Stevens in 1864.
Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
US Rep. Jason Crow, a Democrat from Colorado, comforts US Rep. Susan Wild, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, while taking cover in the House chamber.
US Rep. Jason Crow, a Democrat from Colorado, comforts US Rep. Susan Wild, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, while taking cover in the House chamber.
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images