Pelosi: Jan. 6 like someone at White House dropped bomb on Congress

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said in an interview set to air on Thursday that the Jan. 6 Capitol attack was as if "somebody in the White House dropped a bomb on the Congress."

In an interview that will air on "NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt," Pelosi admitted that she initially dismissed House security telling her that she needed to evacuate the Capitol.

However, after security insisted that she had to leave, Pelosi says she was able to see visuals of what was occurring at an undisclosed location.

"It breaks your heart - it's as if somebody in the White House dropped a bomb on the Congress of the United States," she said.

"But the thing that is unforgivable about January 6 is the traumatic impact that it had on the people who serve our country," the Speaker added.

She said that after returning from the undisclosed location, she saw something she had "never seen before" in her staffers' eyes: "The trauma, the fear of it all."

"Whether it's our police officers, or the staff. Our staffs are young, idealistic people who believe in our country and that they should be hiding under tables or behind locked doors with people banging on the door to do violence to them, or seeking their bosses..."

Pelosi's interview with Holt will air at 6:30 p.m. EST on Thursday.

Pelosi on Thursday led a moment of silence on the House floor to mark the one-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. She also saluted the congressional staff in the Capitol on that day.

"That day and the days after, they were the defenders of our democracy. And their courage and patriotism remain an inspiration," said Pelosi.

"Today, we accept responsibility as daunting and demanding as any previous generations of leadership have faced," she said. "As we reflect on that darkest day, we remember that the insurrection sought not only to attack the building, but to undermine democracy itself."

Updated: 10:03 p.m.