Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy of Florida tells police officers their battle against rioters on Jan. 6, 2021, had a “profound impact” on her personally. Screenshot: Jan. 6 investigative committee hearing of July 27, 2021

When U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy of Florida co-leads Tuesday’s public hearing about the role of paramilitary groups in attacking the nation’s Capitol, she likely will view evidence of the violence not only as an investigator but also personally.

One year ago, while speaking to law enforcement officers who testified about the battle they waged with rioters on Jan. 6, 2021, Murphy revealed they had literally saved her life.

“Most people don’t know this, and I don’t think even you know this, but your actions had a profound impact on me,” said Murphy, one of nine members of the U.S House select committee investigating the attack, from its planning to its aftermath.

She described how she and U.S. Rep. Kathleen Rice ran for safety to a basement office when rioters breached the Capitol and the House chambers.

“We had taken refuge in that office because we thought for sure being in that basement at the heart of the Capitol was the safest place we could be. And, it turned out, we ended up at the center of the storm.”

Murphy said she and Rice were about 40 paces from where Capitol Police and Metro Police officers held rioters at bay.

“From that office, in close proximity to where you all held the line, I listened to you struggle, I listened to you yelling out to one another. I listened to you care for one another, directing people back to the makeshift eyewash station that was at the end of our hall. And then I listened to people coughing, having difficulty breathing. But I watched you and heard you all get back into the fight,” she recounted.

“You felt like you were the last line of defense. Well, I’m telling you, that you were our last line of defense,” Murphy said, speaking to DC Metro Officer Daniel Hodges, who was crushed in a doorway between police and the mob.

“During the exact period of time, Officer Hodges … where you were sacrificing your body to hold that door, i t gave Congresswoman Rice and I and the Capitol Police officers who had been sent to extract us the freedom of movement on that hallway to escape down the other end,” Murphy recounted. “ I shudder to think what would have happened if you had not held that line.”

Her remarks on July 27, 2021, and testimony given by Hodges and three other police officers who fought rioters that day can be viewed here on the committee’s YouTube channel.

Murphy has previously cited law enforcement officers’ roles in successfully defending the Capitol building, members of Congress, congressional staff, and the transfer of presidential power that was happening that day. She asked Hodges why he kept fighting despite his injuries.

“You got back out there. What’s worth all of that pain? What were you fighting for that day?” she asked.

“Democracy,” Hodges answered. “You [the Congresswomen] were 40 feet away. Especially with the razor-thin margins on Democrats and Republicans in the House and the Senate …  if any single one person was kidnapped or killed — and I have no doubt in my mind that’s what they intended — that would affect the outcome of legislation and all your duties for years to come.

“And, obviously, for each other,” he said of fellow officers. “It was for democracy. It was for the men and women of the House and Senate. It was for each other. And it was for the future of the country.”

Murphy said Sunday on Meet the Press that the hearing Tuesday afternoon, the committee’s seventh, will focus on the role paramilitary groups including the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers played in the attack that forced her from the House chamber that day and into hiding.

As a former security specialist in the U.S. Department of Defense, Murphy said, she intends in coming weeks to dissect evidence of how rioters invaded the Capitol and to do her utmost to ensure the future security of the Capitol building, the people working inside it, and the principles it represents. 

“[In the committee’s report, we will] really start to flesh out some areas that we haven’t been able to cover within the hearings because we are trying to tell a cohesive narrative. And there are areas that I care a great deal about, such as what kind of coordination needs to happen to protect the Capitol as a physical space,” Murphy said in an interview with Meet the Press host Chuck Todd.

“We want to make sure that nobody, foreign or domestic, can ever put our democracy and our seat of government at risk as they did on Jan. 6,” Murphy said.

The televised and live-streamed public hearing, to be led by Murphy and U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, begins at 1 p.m. Eastern. An eighth hearing is scheduled for Thursday evening. Previous hearings and evidence presented can be viewed on the investigative committee’s YouTube channel, found here.

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by Laura Cassels, Florida Phoenix July 11, 2022

When U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy of Florida co-leads Tuesday’s public hearing about the role of paramilitary groups in attacking the nation’s Capitol, she likely will view evidence of the violence not only as an investigator but also personally.

One year ago, while speaking to law enforcement officers who testified about the battle they waged with rioters on Jan. 6, 2021, Murphy revealed they had literally saved her life.

“Most people don’t know this, and I don’t think even you know this, but your actions had a profound impact on me,” said Murphy, one of nine members of the U.S House select committee investigating the attack, from its planning to its aftermath.

She described how she and U.S. Rep. Kathleen Rice ran for safety to a basement office when rioters breached the Capitol and the House chambers.

“We had taken refuge in that office because we thought for sure being in that basement at the heart of the Capitol was the safest place we could be. And, it turned out, we ended up at the center of the storm.”

Murphy said she and Rice were about 40 paces from where Capitol Police and Metro Police officers held rioters at bay.

“From that office, in close proximity to where you all held the line, I listened to you struggle, I listened to you yelling out to one another. I listened to you care for one another, directing people back to the makeshift eyewash station that was at the end of our hall. And then I listened to people coughing, having difficulty breathing. But I watched you and heard you all get back into the fight,” she recounted.

“You felt like you were the last line of defense. Well, I’m telling you, that you were our last line of defense,” Murphy said, speaking to DC Metro Officer Daniel Hodges, who was crushed in a doorway between police and the mob.

“During the exact period of time, Officer Hodges … where you were sacrificing your body to hold that door, i t gave Congresswoman Rice and I and the Capitol Police officers who had been sent to extract us the freedom of movement on that hallway to escape down the other end,” Murphy recounted. “ I shudder to think what would have happened if you had not held that line.”

Her remarks on July 27, 2021, and testimony given by Hodges and three other police officers who fought rioters that day can be viewed here on the committee’s YouTube channel.

Murphy has previously cited law enforcement officers’ roles in successfully defending the Capitol building, members of Congress, congressional staff, and the transfer of presidential power that was happening that day. She asked Hodges why he kept fighting despite his injuries.

“You got back out there. What’s worth all of that pain? What were you fighting for that day?” she asked.

“Democracy,” Hodges answered. “You [the Congresswomen] were 40 feet away. Especially with the razor-thin margins on Democrats and Republicans in the House and the Senate …  if any single one person was kidnapped or killed — and I have no doubt in my mind that’s what they intended — that would affect the outcome of legislation and all your duties for years to come.

“And, obviously, for each other,” he said of fellow officers. “It was for democracy. It was for the men and women of the House and Senate. It was for each other. And it was for the future of the country.”

Murphy said Sunday on Meet the Press that the hearing Tuesday afternoon, the committee’s seventh, will focus on the role paramilitary groups including the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers played in the attack that forced her from the House chamber that day and into hiding.

As a former security specialist in the U.S. Department of Defense, Murphy said, she intends in coming weeks to dissect evidence of how rioters invaded the Capitol and to do her utmost to ensure the future security of the Capitol building, the people working inside it, and the principles it represents. 

“[In the committee’s report, we will] really start to flesh out some areas that we haven’t been able to cover within the hearings because we are trying to tell a cohesive narrative. And there are areas that I care a great deal about, such as what kind of coordination needs to happen to protect the Capitol as a physical space,” Murphy said in an interview with Meet the Press host Chuck Todd.

“We want to make sure that nobody, foreign or domestic, can ever put our democracy and our seat of government at risk as they did on Jan. 6,” Murphy said.

The televised and live-streamed public hearing, to be led by Murphy and U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, begins at 1 p.m. Eastern. An eighth hearing is scheduled for Thursday evening. Previous hearings and evidence presented can be viewed on the investigative committee’s YouTube channel, found here.

Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Diane Rado for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com. Follow Florida Phoenix on Facebook and Twitter.

Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of photos and graphics.

Laura Cassels is a reporter, former statehouse bureau chief, and former city editor. She is a classical pianist, a Florida State University graduate and proud alum of the Florida Flambeau, an independent college newspaper. Contact her at [email protected]

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Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site.