2013 U.S. Capitol storming

> "Gingrich Revolution" redirects here. This is about the 2013 insurrection attempt, which is not to be confused with the 1994 Republican Revolution; a peaceful electoral revolution.
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The **2013 United States Capitol storming**, informally nicknamed the **Gingrich Revolution**, was an American domestic terrorist act lasting from January 4, 2013 until January 5, 2013 as part of the unrest surrounding the 2012 United States presidential election, in which Democratic incumbent Barack Obama defeated Newt Gingrich by a large margin, leading large coattails in the 2012 elections.

## Timeline

### Before the riot

Gingrich's running mate, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell, had conceded the 2012 race on December 30, 2012. Gingrich attacked McDonnell as weak and the two fell out. To a large crowd protesting the 113th Congress swearing ins, Gingrich called for "resistance" against the stolen election. The crowd grew overnight, with the nickname "Gingrich Trucks" sticking for loads of trucks that brought armed protesters to the scene. When Iowa U.S. Representative Steve King came on the stage armed, King cried "May our blood bring America to justice! May their blood paint Congress with a true red wave!", which brought the angsty crowd to screams and skybound gunfire. Gingrich was seen fleeing the scene while camps were set up overnight. As the protestors woke up the next day, King returned to the stage, remarking over the microphone at how the crowds had grown.

As the Congress met to certify the presidential results, more far right U.S. politicians took the stage, where Alabama U.S. Representative Mo Brooks decried the "bipartisan war on whites", and Tennessee U.S. Representative Marsha Blackburn called for "maximum resistance". North Carolina Representative Mark Meadows and Kansas Representative Tim Heulskamp were present but refused to speak. The stage remained empty as U.S. Senators Pat Toomey & Rand Paul's names came up on the screen. King, sensing the unrest of the crowed, phoned Gingrich asking what to do. Gingrich did not pick up. King briskly walked onto the stage, as the crowd grew louder, and, on a whim, cried out "REVOLUTION!", firing a single pistol shot in the air. The crowd erupted into screams, and as D.C. Police barracades were toppled, thousands of rioters raced towards the Capitol behind the stage.

### Beginning

The rioters poured into the Senate half of the Capitol, while the guards were preoccupied with the House wing. U.S. Senators were all gathered in the chamber, though some were en route to and from their offices as the vote was ongoing. Texas U.S. Senator Ted Cruz and Georgia U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss attempted to block Georgia's votes for Obama, when police officers rushed into the Senate chamber, escorting Vice President Gary Locke out of the chamber. Audible gunshots rang out, as officers swarmed in and motioned Senators down. As freshman Martin Heinrich vacated the chair, the Senate was gaveled into recess as piles of officers lined the halls. An announcement rang out on the intercom that all Senators be accounted for by Capitol Police. The Representatives, their half still safe, were scurried out on the the Capitol subways, after the other Capitol buildings were secured. Most U.S. Senators were in the chamber, but when evaluated, U.S. Senators James Inhofe, Maria Cantwell, Barbara Mikulski, Tom Carper, Debbie Stabenow, Lisa Murkowski, Ted Stevens, Jason Chaffetz, Dick Cheney, John Cornyn and Ned Lamont were missing.

### Reports come in

Murkowski and Lamont were quickly confirmed alive as they were found attempting to enter the Capitol from the subway, and Chaffetz was stopped on his train to D.C. and advised to turn around. The chamber bunkered down in hushed silence, with only the chatter of each Senator between each other. The galleries were secured by police, but, in a rush, Larry Diedrich charged out of the chamber, to his nearby office. An officer chased after Diedrich out of the chamber, but, after painful silence, multiple automatic rifle shots rang out. As the hall was secured, Senators were informed they would be removed one by one through a secure route to the subway, and that they were to remain hidden until their name was called. The list was, however, controversially decided. The plan centered around seniority, however women would be removed first. Stabenow rang in to confirm she was safe as the most senior female senators were escorted to the exits. Gunshots rang out.

Rioters flooded the building. In Blackburn's testimony, King seemed "completely neurotic" as he screamed into the microphone, calling on "his brothers in arms" to "take back white America". Brooks had fled the scene since. King soon followed suite as did Blackburn. However, King used his public Internet accounts to release statements, then on serving as his communication to the rioters. CCTV cameras could not locate Diedrich, but the first confirmed casaulty came in as U.S. Senator James Inhofe was seen gunned down outside his office. The clip was immediately released to the public, and was shown as news of the riot spread around the news. President Obama called on the National Guard, but more rioters had shown up, and the situation began to quickly escalate.

### Casaulties rise

The subway route was cut off as rioters gunned down D.C. Police. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had stayed behind to supervise Representative escorts, and was stabbed in another assassination that was described as "horrifying". News sources across the nation blared headlines that democray was dead, and Gingrich came on live TV on whichever news channel would take him, posting public statements calling on the rioters to cease fighting. King, however, did not back down, calling on rioters to find the offices of leading liberal Republicans. Suddenly, the CCTV system malfunctioned, shutting down unexpectedly. John Cornyn was found dead by Capitol Police in his office, gunned down amongst the madness. Ted Stevens was found in critical condition after receiving a gunshot wound to the chest, and was able to be escorted to an ambulance. Stevens would be the only severely injured Senator to survive. Former President Joe Biden released a public statement condemning Gingrich for his election denial, calling him "personally responsible", and calling for Steve King to be arrested. King's whereabouts were unknown as the FBI raided his house.

### Subways shut down

Diedrich was found dead in the stairway with the agents as the rioters cleared to move on elsewhere. The chamber was breached as only Dean Heller, John Hoeven and Ron Johnson remained, whom were subsequently killed. The subways' electricity system were compromised, and U.S. Senators, Tom Carper and Dick Cheney were subsequently killed. The Capitol was surrendered shortly after, however, the military were prepared for a counter-intervention the next morning.

### Military storms the Capitol

The Military charged as the night turned over on January 5th, flooding the area with tear gas. Barbara Mikulski was found dead in her office by the military, and Maria Cantwell was found dead on the stairwell. U.S. Representatives John Conyers Jr. and Paul Broun were confirmed dead later on, the second and third U.S. Representatives killed, and, as a fire was put out, the varyingly damaged remains of U.S. Representatives Todd Young, Raul Labrador, Adam Kinzinger, Cynthia Lummis, Bill Cassidy, Devin Nunes, and, by a coincidence not lost on reporters, Blackburn were found. The Military cleared the rioters, whose numbers had considerably dwindled, and, as the tear gas dissipated, imposed a three day isolation of the Capitol. No more Congressional casaulties were confirmed, and the building was confirmed clear on January 8th.

### Return on January 8th

No further opposition was made to the certification of electoral votes. Obama and Locke were declared the winners that night, and Gingrich made a public concession to a widely negative reception.

## Aftermath

### Fates of the trialled

* Steve King - Arrested, sentenced to death for insurrection, high treason against the United States, domestic terrorism, hate speech and ten counts of assisted murder. Expelled from the House. Executed on May 26, 2017.
* Mo Brooks - Arrested, sentenced to 10 years in prison for inciting insurrection and hate speech. Expelled from the House.
* Marsha Blackburn - Killed in riot.
* Mark Meadows - Found not guilty, resigned from House on January 9th.
* Tim Heulskamp - Found not guilty. resigned from House on January 8th.
* Newt Gingrich - Case dismissed due to hung jury.
* Bob McDonnell - Found not guilty. Remained Governor of Virginia until finishing term in 2014. Later found guilty in unrelated trial.

### U.S. Senators killed and injured

James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma, 1994)
Dick Cheney (R-Wyoming, 1997)
Tom Carper (D-Delaware, 2001)
Maria Cantwell (D-Washington, 2001)
John Cornyn (R-Texas, 2002)
Larry Diedrich (R-South Dakota, 2005)
John Hoeven (R-North Dakota, 2011)
Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin, 2011)
Dean Heller (R-Nevada, 2011)
 Critically injured
 Minor injuries

### U.S. Representatives killed and injured

Nancy Pelosi (D-California, 1987)
Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee, 2003)
Devin Nunes (R-California, 2003)
Paul Broun (R-Georgia, 2007)
Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana, 2009)
Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyoming, 2009)
Raul Labrador (R-Idaho, 2011)
Adam Kinzinger (R-Illinois, 2011)
Todd Young (R-Indiana, 2011)
 Critically injured
 Minor injuries
Rodney Alexander (R-Louisiana, 2003)
Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana, 2008)

### Public response

The week after the attack, on January 10, 2013, another casaulty would be added as U.S. Senator Bob Corker was found dead in his house in apparent suicide by hanging. No suicide note was found.

President Barack Obama sent personal condolences to each of the families of the slain congressmen on January 6th, calling the attack a "national tragedy". Crime rose by 10% on average in the entire United States for the next 3 months, and many members of Congress publicly annouced that they were seeking psychiatric care to deal with the trauma stemming from the incident. Congress adjourned following the certification of Electoral Votes for the rest of the month, resuming duties on February 1, 2013. U.S. Senator John Kerry resigned that day to become Secretary of State, publicy stating that America needed to "reaffirm it's place in the world" after the event. Heightened Capitol security measures were taken, and no tours were held until January 2014.

94% of Americans saw the attack as a symbolic end to American democracy following the attack, a number which had dropped to 73% within a year. 116 rioters were killed, and over 15,000 arrests have been made since then relating to the battle. King's execution on May 26, 2017, lead to minor riots outside the Capitol which lead to 2 rioters' deaths.