Just over an hour into the train ride from Washington to West Virginia, Republican lawmakers traveling to their annual retreat were settling in for the long excursion, chatting with colleagues or family, or simply stretching their legs.
Without warning, the train suddenly slammed into a white garbage truck.
“It was quite a jolt,” said Rep. Tom Cole (Okla.). “It was just ‘bam.’”
“You could feel we had hit something,” said Sen. Mike Lee (Utah). “It took us maybe a quarter mile to stop.”
The force from the chartered 10-car Amtrak train sliced into the truck on the tracks Wednesday, killing one person and injuring at least five, a deadly start for a GOP gathering focused on party unity and election-year strategy.
A screengrab of the crash site captured from the Twitter account of Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.). (Social Media/Reuters)
Shortly after impact, the doctors among the Republican rank-and-file ignored security officials’ warning not to leave the train and rushed to help. Sen. Bill Cassidy (La.), a physician, along with Sen. Jeff Flake (Ariz.) and Rep. Brad Wenstrup (Ohio) helped carry one truck passenger several hundred yards to an ambulance.
They “literally pried open the doors and jumped off the train to assist those injured,” said Rep. Barry Loudermilk (Ga.).
Other lawmakers quickly took to social media, tweeting to reassure family and friends that they were fine. Still others relayed information or posted video of the shattered truck and the train still on the tracks.
It was a reminder of the last summer’s near tragedy, when a gunman who targeted Republicans opened fire on a baseball field in Alexandria, Va. Then, Flake and Wenstrup, an Army combat medic, rushed to help House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) who lay bleeding on the field and nearly died.
What they did on Wednesday is “eerily familiar” to what they did last summer, Flake said. “Brad and I working like that – that was just too close.”
A few passengers were “roughed up,” Lee said. “Most of us hit a knee or a head on the seat in front of us but nothing too serious.”
Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (Tenn.) — another survivor of the ballfield shooting — was nursing a hard hit to the head.
An Amtrak passenger train carrying Republican members of Congress from Washington to a retreat in West Virginia is seen after colliding with a garbage truck in Crozet, Va., on Jan. 31, 2018. (Handout/Reuters)
“I was on the train heading to the GOP Retreat when an accident occurred,” he tweeted later. “I am OK, and working with doctors that have arrived.”
Rep. Jason Lewis (Minn.), who also hit his head, was seen on television footage being transported to an ambulance. An aide said Lewis would be checked at a hospital for signs of a possible concussion.
The day began on a chilly morning at the Capitol. Hours after President Trump’s State of the Union Address, House and Senate Republicans had boarded separate charter buses that carried them a few blocks to Union Station.
Amtrak Police watched closely as the group processed toward Gate G — resembling any other band of casual travelers. Rep. Sean P. Duffy (Wis.) had his wife and eight children in tow. Rep. K. Michael Conaway (Tex.) wore a red baseball cap. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (Calif.) was carrying his guitar.
Their destination was West Virginia’s Greenbrier Resort, once home to secret government facilities built in the event of a nuclear attack that now often hosts the winter conferences held by Democrats and Republicans to plot strategy. Republicans opted to travel together by rail for security and logistical purposes. Speaker Paul D. Ryan (Wis.) was on the train and uninjured; Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) was not onboard. Republicans were scheduled to arrive by early afternoon.
The crash occurred in Crozet, Va., a town of about 5,500 residents 12 miles west of Charlottesville. Residents who live near the crash said it’s not the first time vehicles have struggled at the Lanetown rail crossing.
The crossing “is not good for trucks of any size,” said Ray Page McCauley Jr., who said the height of the crossing has long posed problems and that he’s seen other trucks get stuck before.
“A lot of tractor-trailers have gotten stuck, and even limos seem to have trouble getting across it,” he said. “If a truck breaks down, there isn’t enough time to call the railroad to let them know.”
Back on the train, most passengers had a clear view of the truck.
“It’s been maybe cut in half,” Lee said. “We can see garbage strewn around and we can see the back half of the truck.”
Others onboard stood with U.S. Capitol Police officers concerned that the damage truck could cause a gas explosion — or that something more nefarious might unfold.
Initially, “The physicians couldn’t get out because there was concern about an explosion,” said Rachel Campos-Duffy, the congressman’s wife, who called into Fox News, where she is a contributor.
“I could see the CPR going,” she told Fox, “but sadly one of them was lost.”
Speaking by telephone from the scene, Flake confirmed that one passenger in the truck had died. Two others were injured. The dead body was covered by a blue tarp.
“They never could revive him, they tried for quite awhile,” he said. The passenger that he and others carried to an ambulance “was breathing but is in pretty bad shape.”
By 1:37 p.m, the train had backed into the Charlottesville train station as more than a half-dozen charter buses pulled into the parking lot. Police officers quickly cordoned off the station, keeping away reporters and onlookers.
Members began to climb off the trains, many carrying their own luggage. Many were somber as they reflected on the injuries suffered by the truck passengers.
Sen. Rob Portman (Ohio) got off with his wife, Jane and waiting for them was their son, Jed. He’s a University of Virginia student who had come over from the nearby campus to say hello.
Portman described a “very, very sad” experience, adding: “Prayers are with the three and their family.”
Across the street from the train station at Mel’s Cafe, Greg Snyder, 69, couldn’t believe the scene.
“We can’t stay out of the news,” he said, referencing the city’s race riots last August.
Frank Larkin, the Senate Sergeant at Arms, drove down from Washington to Charlottesville when he got word of the crash. He said it appeared to be an “unfortunate accident” without criminal intent, but that an investigation would continue.
“It certainly tests our mettle and our preparedness,” Larkin said of tragedy confronting Congress.
By 2:28 p.m, the charter buses started leaving Charlottesville. Slightly bruised and behind schedule, Republicans vowed to get back to work.
DeBonis and Kane reported from Charlottesville. Erica Werner and Sean Sullivan in Charlottesville, Lori Aratani in Washington and Hawes Spencer in Crozet contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON — Given the White House’s insistence that President Trump’s first State of the Union address would emphasize bipartisanship and unity, what was striking about the speech last night was how much it underscored how far apart Trump and Democrats are on immigration — at least on the rhetoric.
Trump tied immigration to crime and violence, mentioning the MS-13 gang five times (compared with six ISIS references and one Al Qaeda reference). He said he prioritized American citizens over immigrants — whether they’re legal or illegal. “My duty, and the sacred duty of every elected official in this chamber, is to defend Americans — to protect their safety, their families, their communities, and their right to the American Dream. Because Americans are dreamers, too.”
And when he offered a path to citizenship for DACA recipients and other Dreamers, he tied it to reducing legal immigration. “These four pillars represent a down-the-middle compromise,” he said, when one pillar was citizenship for the Dreamers and the other three were items he wants — increased border security, ending the visa lottery and limiting family reunification. (Is that really down the middle?)
On the other hand, here was the immigration rhetoric from Rep. Joe Kennedy, D-Mass., who delivered the official Democratic response: “To all the Dreamers watching tonight, let me be clear: Ustedes son parte de nuestra historia. Vamos a luchar por ustedes y no nos vamos alejar.” Translation: “You are a part of our story. We will fight for you. We will not walk away.
And Kennedy stressed that ALL people in this country — citizen or immigrant — is worth protecting. “This administration isn’t just targeting the laws that protect us – they are targeting the very idea that we are all worthy of protection,” he said. “For them, dignity isn’t something you’re born with but something you measure. By your net worth, your celebrity, your headlines, your crowd size. Not to mention, the gender of your spouse. The country of your birth. The color of your skin. The God of your prayers.”
Now, when you mute the rhetoric, you see that a deal is still possible. Trump says he wants to protect the Dreamers; Democrats do, too. Democrats say they’re willing to spend more on border security, which Trump wants. And it’s worth noting that some Senate Republicans (Lindsey Graham, Jeff Flake, Susan Collins, Lamar Alexander, Cory Gardner, Mike Rounds, Lisa Murkowski) already agree with the Democrats.
But the rhetoric from last night didn’t make a deal easier. In fact, it probably made it harder.
Trump’s bellicose rhetoric on North Korea
The other State of the Union headline last night came on North Korea — especially with publication of a Washington Post op-ed from the man who was supposed to be the Trump administration’s ambassador to South Korea, but who was nixed for the job after disagreeing with the administration’s option for a “bloody nose” strike.
“Some may argue that U.S. casualties and even a wider war on the Korean Peninsula are risks worth taking, given what is at stake. But a strike (even a large one) would only delay North Korea’s missile-building and nuclear programs, which are buried in deep, unknown places impenetrable to bunker-busting bombs,” Victor Cha writes. “A strike also would not stem the threat of proliferation but rather exacerbate it.”
Given that backdrop, it was striking to hear Trump’s rhetoric on North Korea. “No regime has oppressed its own citizens more totally or brutally than the cruel dictatorship in North Korea,” he said. “Past experience has taught us that complacency and concessions only invite aggression and provocation. I will not repeat the mistakes of past administrations that got us into this very dangerous position,” he added.
And then there was this: “Tonight, we pledge to honor [Otto Warmbier's] memory with total American resolve,” Trump said after recognizing Warmbier’s parents.
Trump: I want to empower every Cabinet secretary “to remove federal employees who undermine the public trust or fail the American people”
Here was another Trump line from last night that struck us: “So tonight, I call on Congress to empower every Cabinet secretary with the authority to reward good workers and to remove federal employees who undermine the public trust or fail the American people.”
Is he talking about changing the civil service laws? If so, how? Was this somehow a reference to Robert Mueller? Inquiring minds want to know…
Unlike past presidents, Trump isn’t the hitting the road to sell his State of the Union
Meanwhile, it’s notable that Trump is NOT hitting the road to sell his State of the Union — or the tax law — as other presidents have done. He’s getting stuck in Washington, which is never good for a president, especially one who vowed to clean up Washington’s “swamp.”
Democrats didn’t hide their dislike of Trump
As for the Democrats, it was noteworthy last night how much they don’t like President Trump — and how they don’t hide it. Sure, there was “You lie” and visible GOP opposition to Barack Obama. But the disdain coming from Democrats was noticeable.
Fact-checking Trump
Can immigrants bring in “unlimited” and “distant” relatives, as Trump claimed? The answer is no: Last night, Trump said: “Under the current broken system, a single immigrant can bring in virtually unlimited numbers of distant relatives. Under our plan, we focus on the immediate family by limiting sponsorships to spouses and minor children. This vital reform is necessary, not just for our economy, but for our security, and our future.”
Per NBC’s Jane Timm, that’s false. “Legal immigrants can sponsor their spouses, children, parents, and siblings — but distant relatives, like cousins, cannot be sponsored for residency. The family reunification visa process takes years or even more than a decade, preventing “chains” from forming the way Trump suggests, as Politico reported in detail. What’s more, there are only so many family visas that can be granted. The numbers are capped by the U.S. government.”
NYT: The real aim of the Nunes memo is the Mueller investigation
“When House Speaker Paul D. Ryan said on Tuesday that he wanted Americans to see a secret memo that portrays the early stages of the Trump-Russia investigation as scandalous, he also said he cautioned his Republican colleagues not to use it to impugn Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel running the inquiry,” the New York Times writes. “But as a matter of political reality, the memo — written by Republican staffers for Representative Devin Nunes of California, the House Intelligence Committee chairman — has everything to do with defending President Trump from Mr. Mueller’s investigation.”
Hillary Clinton regrets handling of staffer’s sexual-harassment claim from ’08 campaign
“If I had it to do again, I wouldn’t”: Finally, don’t miss Hillary Clinton’s lengthy statement — dropped shortly before last night’s State of the Union speech — about her decision not to fire a staffer accused of sexual harassment during the 2008 campaign.
“I very much understand the question I’m being asked as to why I let an employee on my 2008 campaign keep his job despite his inappropriate workplace behavior,” Clinton said in the post. “The short answer is this: If I had it to do again, I wouldn’t.”
A screengrab of the crash site captured from the Twitter account of Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.). (Social Media/Reuters)
An Amtrak passenger train carrying Republican members of Congress from Washington to a retreat in West Virginia is seen after colliding with a garbage truck in Crozet, Va., on Jan. 31, 2018. (Handout/Reuters)
