Lawmakers Call For Capitol Police Officer Who Confronted Pro-Trump Mob To Receive Congressional Gold Medal
Officer Eugene Goodman was shown in a widely shared video leading a mob of insurrectionists away from the Senate floor where Congress members were sheltered.
Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman has been hailed as a hero after he appeared in a chilling video singlehandedly confronting a mob of Trump supporters and leading them away from the Senate floor where Congress members were located. Now, lawmakers across both parties are working to grant Goodman with the Congressional Gold Medal.
When a crowd of domestic terrorists attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6 while Congress worked to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s win, several photos and videos taken from inside the building showed crowds had broken in (or in some cases were ushered in by police).
Journalist Igor Bobic posted a video of Goodman, who is Black, trying to stop a mostly white crowd of extremists with just a baton in his hand.
In the video, Goodman yelled “back up” to the crowd multiple times in an attempt to get them to stand down. At one point in the video, Goodman looks to his left, where the Senate floor is located, and members of Congress were reportedly sheltering, and led the mob in the opposite direction. He was simultaneously talking to colleagues via his radio while fending off the mob, video showed.
According to Bobic and other reports, Congress members were able to evacuate moments after Goodman led the crowd away — their lives potentially spared.
Goodman, who is an Army veteran, has not publicly spoken out about his heroic actions during the incident, nor has the Capitol Police. According to those close to Goodman who spoke with The Washington Post, Goodman is “generally private and reserved” and now fearful of being a target of right-wing extremists.
On Thursday, Reps. Charlie Christ (D-FL), Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), and Nancy Mace (R-SC) introduced a bipartisan bill to award Goodman with the Congressional Gold Medal “for his bravery and quick thinking.”
“When he was the only thing standing between Members of Congress and the violent mob, he quickly and selflessly redirected their fury upon himself so those Members could escape,” Rep. Mace wrote in a statement. “Thanks to his valor, we are here today. From the bottom of my heart, I cannot thank him enough for his bravery and for his dedication to the call of duty.”
Federal law enforcement are investigating hundreds of people in connection to last week’s insurrection at the Capitol that left five people dead, including a Capitol Police officer. President Trump has been impeached again, this time for inciting a violent siege, and law enforcement officials are now bracing for any violence that might occur during Biden’s inauguration in Washington D.C. next week.