Los Angeles Times congressional correspondent Sarah D. Wire knew she was in for a historic day

when she walked into the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

She was there to cover the counting of the Electoral College votes for the 2020 presidential election.

It's usually a straightforward affair, but that day, Sarah was expecting controversy.

Thank you very much.

Because Donald Trump claimed he lost not through regular democracy, but because of mass cheating.

If you count the legal votes, I easily win. What Sarah didn't expect was an insurrection.

I'm Gustavo Areano. You're listening to The Times, Daily News from the LA Times. It's Tuesday, January 4th, 2022. Today, we spend the entire episode with Sarah. She tells us about the day that a mob of pro-Trump extremists stormed the U.S. Capitol and shares never-before-heard interviews with the Congress members she spent hours with behind locked doors.

It's a glimpse into the mind of our politicians as they worried for their lives while chaos invaded the seat of American democracy. Sarah, welcome to the times.

Thanks for having me.

Let's go back to January 6, 2021. Biden had just won the presidency, both the

popular vote and the electoral college, but prominent Republicans, especially Donald Trump,

and his supporters, they had been alleging electoral fraud. Yeah, and it's been going on for weeks.

Normally, after an election ends, the atmosphere changes in Washington.

And those who lost start looking for new jobs and packing up their apartments.

And those who won start a mass hiring spree.

And no matter who won, there's a feeling of rejuvenation in the city.

And that never happened this time.

What was the atmosphere then?

Was it doom, gloom, anger?

Forboding, I suppose, would be the best phrase.

We've been watching for a year that the president wouldn't say publicly that he would accept the election results.

...