Goodman was hailed as a hero after the video appeared in which he guided the violent crowd away from the Senate chamber, where Pence had conducted the ceremonial count of the 2020 electoral votes on January 6. The source told CNN that Pence will make the final calls. Monday and hope they connect.
Pence’s outreach attempt is just the latest example of the Vice President taking on more of the Commander-in-Chief role in front of the public as President Donald Trump is locked in the White House, silenced on social media and refusing to talk about the man who beat him or who abandoned the baseless election conspiracies that helped incite the rioters. Pence, for his part, called Vice President-elect Kamala Harris last week and visited members of the National Guard guarding the Capitol.
Many in Pence’s orbit remain enraged with the way Trump behaved on the day of the attempted insurgency, which brought rioters seconds away from meeting Pence and his family in the hallways at outside the Senate Chamber.
Images of the January 6 uprising captured by Huffington Post reporter Igor Bobic show Goodman being chased down a Capitol staircase by a mob of insurgents shortly after their break-in. When he reached a landing, he looked to his left, where he noticed the door to the Senate chambers still unguarded. He then led the rioters to the right, away from the lawmakers and towards the deputy officers.
Senate chambers will not be secured until a minute later, according to CNN’s timeline of events since the riot.
As a result, a bipartisan trio of lawmakers want to recognize Goodman with a Congressional Gold Medal for potentially saving lives.
Democratic Representatives Charlie Crist of Florida and Emanuel Cleaver II of Missouri and Republican Nancy Mace of South Carolina last week introduced legislation to award Goodman the Medal, reserved for Americans who have made “remarkable achievements and contributions.” to their country.
“By putting his own life on the line and with success in single-handedly removing insurgents from the floor of the Senate Chamber, Officer Eugene Goodman has fulfilled his duty to protect Congress with distinction, and through his actions. , Officer Goodman left an indelible mark on American history, ”the legislation reads.
CNN’s Scottie Andrew and Kevin Liptak contributed to this report.
