Shocking New Capitol Security Footage Shows How Close Rioters Came To Lawmakers

Democrats shared U.S. Capitol security video from the Jan. 6 insurrection showing rioters entering the capitol and Officer Eugene Goodman directing Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) away from the protesters.

The footage, part of their presentation during day two of former President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial in the Senate, was made public for the first time Wednesday. It offered another perspective of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, which resulted in five deaths, including that of a police officer, that day. Two more police officers died by suicide in the days after the riot.

Del. Stacey Plaskett (D-Virgin Islands) presented the never-before-seen security footage, filmed from inside the Capitol, which showed rioters pounding and beating the windows until they broke open.

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Dozens of rioters can be seen pouring into the hallways, in apparent search for the Senate chamber. Some of the first people who broke into the Capitol wore tactical gear, and one was holding a baseball bat.

One rioter could be seen in a QAnon shirt, while another was holding a Confederate flag.

A lone officer responds to the scene and attempts to pepper spray the first person to enter the building, though he is quickly overwhelmed by the incoming rush of rioters.

He quickly turns around as more people climb through the broken windows and into the halls of the Capitol.

In separate security footage filmed from another angle, Officer Goodman can be seen running to the mob of people and provoking them in an attempt to redirect Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) away from the rioters.

Another angle of security footage shows Vice President Mike Pence being evacuated from the Senate chamber, fleeing the mob who was searching for him.

In one security video, staff members for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) can be seen running down a hallway and into an office, where they barricaded themselves and hid.

Moments after they run into the office, a mob walks down that same hall.

In another presentation, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) showed another round of never-before-seen security footage of the chaos inside of the Capitol.

One video showed another mob rushing through a different entrance on the east side of the Capitol. One of the first people to breach that entrance was holding a large flag bearing the name of President Donald Trump.

Swalwell played one security clip twice in an attempt to show lawmakers how close they came to the violent mob.

In the footage, senators can be seen running down the hall as the Capitol Police ran down another hall, using their bodies to shield the lawmakers from the mob, as seen in the far-right corner of the hall.

Another video shows Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) walking down a hallway only to quickly turn around and run back through a set of doors that are protected by two officers.

Democrats also showed Capitol Police body camera footage to illustrate officers’ perspectives as violent mobs attacked them.

In the footage, one rioter runs toward and attacks a line of officers protecting the Capitol building. Other people join in, kicking and assaulting the officers with their own sticks.

At one point, someone throws a Trump flag on a tall pole into the fight. In a separate security video of that same scene, a person farther away in the mob can be seen throwing that flag.

Swalwell ended his presentation with a chilling video showing Capitol Police Officer Daniel Hodges smashed and stuck in a doorway as a mob pushed against him and beat him until he was bloodied. 

“I’m sorry I have to show you the next video,” Swalwell warned the chamber.

During a call with reporters Wednesday morning, senior aides on the impeachment managers’ team called the footage “quite extraordinary.”

“It will provide new insight into both the extreme violence that everyone suffered, the risk and the threat that could have led to further violence and death,” one aide said. “It shows really the extent of what Donald Trump unleashed on our Capitol.”

Democrats also aired audio recordings of Capitol Police officers calling for help on the radio as rioters attacked them, with some of the rioters apparently using poles.

“We have a group of about 50 charging up the hill on the west front,” an officer can be heard saying on the radio recording. “They’re throwing poles at us.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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