Congressional staffer trapped during insurrection reacts to Trump indictment

WASHINGTON — Sharon Nichols, Communications Director for D.C.’s Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, still flashes back to being trapped inside the Capitol during the insurrection. When Senate offices were locked down Wednesday after a phone threat, it all came rushing back.

"I was calling everybody that I knew was on the Hill that day. I was trying to give my best advice. I was crying. Not sobbing, but I was scared," recalled Nichols.

WUSA9 invited Nichols to our studio to watch Thursday's arraignment. When Donald Trump’s spokesperson spoke to cameras before the arraignment, Nichols had a strong reaction.

"She was trying to, I guess, confuse the listener by throwing out a bunch of unrelated ideas. She talked for a long time about how Trump is independently wealthy and this is happening because people are threatened by those who can’t be bought by Washington. What does that have to do with anything? That has nothing to do with why we’re here today."

Nichols said she considering former Vice President Mike Pence's role in the indictment, she thinks he believes in the country.

"We disagree on the details, but I feel terrible for him," she said.

Nichols defended DC’s ability to give Trump a fair trial, saying people who live in the District are fully capable to serve as jurors. 

"DC Residents are no more, no less able, to serve as impartial jurors than in any other jurisdiction in the country," she said. "That’s kind of a ridiculous argument."

"It’s not a happy thing to me. It’s not something to celebrate or to have a party about, but it is deserved and it’s appropriate and I’m glad that he’s getting it because he harmed so many people, she added.

When asked what she would say to former President Trump face-to-face, Nichols answered, "That’s a hard one. I’d ask him if he’s always been this way, without shame."