History will remember January 6 as the day a mob of pro-Trump extremists stormed the United States Capitol, fueled by former President Donald Trump's lies that Democrats orchestrated widespread election fraud to "steal" the 2020 presidential election from him. At Trump's instruction, the rioters upended the joint congressional session to nationally certify now-President Joe Biden's victory.
The deadly failed insurrection resulted in Trump's historic second impeachment on January 13, and on Wednesday, House impeachment managers laid out a timeline of Trump's remarks in the days and hours before the riot, and gave a play-by-play of the calamity in the Capitol that day as part of the Senate's impeachment trial.
Included with this timeline was a slew of previously unreleased security camera footage that conveyed just how close the violent rioters got to some of the figures Trump had spent years decrying.
Among them was Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT), a frequent Trump critic who was the sole Republican to vote to convict him in his first impeachment trial almost exactly a year ago today.
On January 6, security footage shows Romney unknowingly walking toward the insurrectionists shortly after they first breached the Capitol.
The footage goes on to show Officer Eugene Goodman warning Romney of the breach just before Romney turns around and runs.
Watch House impeachment manager Stacey Plaskett (D-Virgin Islands) present the video below.
Another key figure in the events of January 6 was Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO), who—along with Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX)—led the charge in the Senate to dispute certified election results and their subsequent electoral votes in hopes of delivering a second term to Trump despite the will of the people.
Hawley infamously raised his fist in support of pro-Trump demonstrators just outside of the Capitol before the riots began. After the riots, Hawley continued with his opposition to the national certification of then-President-elect Joe Biden's victory.
In light of the previously unseen footage, a post-riot photo of Romney glaring at Hawley as Hawley proceeds with his effort to overturn the election is making the rounds.
Romney's close brush with the violence prompted by the lies Hawley helped amplify added a whole new, chilling layer to the photograph.
People credited Officer Eugene Goodman—who famously led advancing rioters away from the Senate chamber at risk to his own safety—for saving Romney's life.
According to MSNBC's Kyle Griffin, Hawley spent significant parts of Wednesday's arguments with his feet on his desk, reading unrelated materials, and generally not paying attention.
Jane Rosenberg
Jane Rosenberg
@arianagrande/Instagram
@arianagrande/Instagram