Footage shows Officer Goodman directing Romney away from mob

By Paul LeBlanc | CNN

New security footage presented during former President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial showed even more heroics from Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman, including potentially saving Sen. Mitt Romney from the violent mob that breached the US Capitol.

The security video, which the House impeachment managers played for the first time Wednesday, shows Goodman running as the mob begins to enter the Capitol. Goodman passes Romney and redirects him from the rioters’ path before continuing to the first floor to respond to the breach and divert the mob from lawmakers.

Romney, of Utah, is a frequent target of criticism from Trump supporters. He was the only Republican to vote to convict Trump during his first impeachment trial last year and has frequently criticized him throughout his time in politics, both before and after his presidency.

The video of Goodman’s efforts was played alongside additional new Capitol security footage showing how the rioters violently breached the complex and the threat they posed to everyone in the building as the managers argued that Trump was responsible for inciting the episode.

Democratic Del. Stacey Plaskett of the Virgin Islands, one of the nine impeachment managers, walked senators through the security footage, showing where the rioters had breached the Capitol and how close they were to then-Vice President Mike Pence, whom they were targeting.

“They were coming at the urging of Donald Trump to keep Congress, a separate branch of government, from certifying the results of a presidential election,” Plaskett said.

Goodman, now the acting deputy Senate sergeant-at-arms, had already been hailed as a hero after previous video emerged of him guiding the violent mob away from the Senate chamber, where Pence had been conducting the ceremonial counting of the 2020 electoral votes.

Footage from the insurrection captured by Huffington Post reporter Igor Bobic shows Goodman being chased up a Capitol staircase by a mob of insurrectionists shortly after they’d broken in. When he reached a landing, he looked to his left, where he noticed the door to the Senate chamber was still unguarded. He then led the rioters to the right, away from lawmakers and toward backup officers.

The Senate chambers wouldn’t be secured until one minute later, according to CNN’s timeline of events from the riot.

Some lawmakers have introduced legislation to recognize Goodman with a Congressional Gold Medal for potentially saving lives. The medal is reserved for Americans who’ve made “distinguished achievements and contributions” to their country.

Goodman also escorted Vice President Kamala Harris to the inauguration ceremony last month.