Goodman saves Mitt Romney from Capitol riot

WASHINGTON – Dramatic new footage shown during Donald Trump’s impeachment trial shows Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman frantically warning Sen. Mitt Romney to take cover shortly before Goodman faces a mob of rioters.

Goodman has already become a heroic figure to confront people who had just stormed the Capitol, pushing them away from the Senate Chamber.

Invisible security footage shown by Democrats during Wednesday’s impeachment trial shows Goodman running through the halls moments before that confrontation when he passed Romney on his way out of the Senate chamber. There is no audio on the security footage, but Goodman can be seen waving his arms at Romney, ordering him to take cover. Romney, who was walking quickly, runs into a race in the opposite direction and gets out of the frame. Romney told reporters he didn’t realize at the time that Goodman was the one to warn him and that he didn’t see the video until the Democrats played it on Wednesday.

At the time, the rioters had already broken windows and poured into the building one floor below. Goodman then descended the stairs to face the crowds. Outnumbered, Goodman withdrew steadily, pulling the crowds away from the Senate Chamber and entering a hallway where other Capitol Hill cops could finally block the advance of the rioters.

House Impeachment Director Stacey Plaskett revealed that at the time then Vice-President Mike Pence was taking refuge in an adjoining room just outside the courtroom. Senate. Plaskett released never-before-seen security footage of Pence being evacuated from the Capitol, with a map showing how close he was to Goodman and the rioters at the time.

“As the rioters reached the top of the stairs, they were within 30 meters of where the vice president was taking shelter with his family,” she said.

Other Senators were inside the Senate Chamber itself, with the mob of rioters directly outside. Plaskett’s video showed Pence, his family and staff evacuating the second floor, descending a staircase. At the time, rioters were facing Capitol Police across the Senate Chamber.

“The crowd was looking for Vice President Pence because of his patriotism, because the Vice President refused to do what the president demanded and overrule the election results,” Plaskett said. “Extremists are said to have coordinated online and discussed how they could track down the vice president. Reporters at Capitol Hill reported hearing rioters say they were looking for Pence to execute him.

Plaskett then showed a photo of a gallows brought onto the Capitol lawn by rioters, followed by video of people storming the Capitol chanting “hang Mike Pence”.

Impeachment official Eric Swalwell showed footage of senators hastily evacuating the Senate chamber shortly after, some of them running. They then moved into a hallway near where Goodman had recently repelled the rioters, according to Swalwell. He pointed out that the public had previously not known how close the Senators and Pence were to the rioters on January 6.

“As you walked down this corridor – I followed it – you were only 58 paces from where the crowds gathered and the police were rushing to arrest them,” he said.

Swalwell then showed footage of Chuck Schumer, now the Senate Majority Leader, having a near miss, coming a few feet from a group of rioters. Schumer is seen walking up a ramp in the Senate basement with his security staff. Moments later, Schumer and his guards return in the opposite direction, and the police close and lock a door behind them.

Democrats also released new footage of the initial breach of the Capitol on the Senate side of the building where, Plaskett noted, several members of the Proud Boys (a far-right group that Trump told to “step back and stand by “during a September Debate) were among the first to enter. “The second man through the window is wearing full, tactical body armor and carrying a baseball bat,” she said.