The moment the vice president was rushed off the floor, the instructions were given to leave the chamber, and then immediately proceed to stay in the chamber, there was a sense that, yes, this is all about protesters. I think many of us are aware that protesters could be carrying arms. So there was certainly concern that there could be shooting, that there could be a breach of the chamber.

Jeff Merkley

Jeffrey Alan "Jeff" Merkley is the junior United States Senator from Oregon. A member of the Democratic Party, Merkley was a five-term member of the Oregon Legislative Assembly representing House District 47, located in eastern Multnomah County within the Portland city limits. He also served as Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives. He defeated two-term Republican incumbent Gordon Smith in the 2008 U.S. Senate election and defeated Monica Wehby in the 2014 U.S. Senate election.

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