New security footage of Capitol Attack presented Wednesday by House impeachment managers showed official Eugene Goodman ordering Senator Mitt Romney to turn to security on 6 January. Romney appeared to be heading for the troublemakers when Goodman led him away.
The footage was shown on Wednesday at the impeachment trial of former President Trump. House impeachment managers presented the new footage in their opening arguments against Trump, who was accused of inciting the Capitol riot insurrection on January 6.
The footage showed how close the Utah Republican came to clashing with the angry crowd, something that probably could have happened if Goodman hadn’t intervened. Goodman tried to contain the crowd and distract them from the Senate chamber.
“Officer Goodman overtakes Senator Mitt Romney and instructs him to turn around to be safe,” said House impeachment manager Stacey Plaskett, describing the silent security images as he reproduced them.
Goodman took many of the protesters away from the Senate chamber, saving critical time for lawmakers to get to safety. Goodman also gave Vice President Mike Pence and his family time to flee to safety, moments before protesters could see the Vice President.
This was just one of the never-before-seen images that the House’s impeachment managers showed on Wednesday.
Only one camera angle is allowed during the Senate trial, which means that viewers do not have the opportunity to see senators’ reactions. But the reporter at the pool inside the chamber at the time said that Romney was watching the footage carefully, as it showed Goodman potentially saving his life. Most senators were also glued to the images, pool reporters said.
During the dinner break, Romney told reporters that it was “worrying” to see the images. He also said that he did not know that he was so close to the crowd and that he did not know that it was Goodman who led him to safety.
“I’m looking forward to thanking him the next time I see him,” said Romney. “That I was very lucky that Officer Goodman was there to put me in the right direction.”
The House’s impeachment manager, Eric Swalwell, reminded the senators that they were just “58 paces” from where the crowd was gathering when they were evacuated from the chamber at 2:30 pm. The crowd arrived at the Senate gallery at 2:45 pm.
– Grace Segers of CBS News contributed to this report.