‘Where They Countin’ the Votes?!’: New Video Details Tense Moments As Capitol Mob Sought Out Lawmakers

New video, found in an archive of data uploaded to Parler, includes a fresh look at the mob’s confrontation with Eugene Goodman, the officer credited for luring rioters away from senators during the early moments of the Capitol riot.
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 06: A protester holds a Trump flag inside the US Capitol Building near the Senate Chamber on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC. Congress held a joint session today to ratify President-elect ... WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 06: A protester holds a Trump flag inside the US Capitol Building near the Senate Chamber on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC. Congress held a joint session today to ratify President-elect Joe Biden's 306-232 Electoral College win over President Donald Trump. A group of Republican senators said they would reject the Electoral College votes of several states unless Congress appointed a commission to audit the election results. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

This article originally appeared in ProPublica, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox.

More than 10 million people have seen the video shot by HuffPost reporter Igor Bobic showing a Black Capitol Police officer leading pro-Trump rioters away from where senators were holed up in the Capitol on Jan. 6.

Now, ProPublica has uncovered new footage — amid a trove of content archived from the now-shuttered social platform Parler — that reveals the raw moments before Officer Eugene Goodman’s actions. The clip, recorded minutes after crowds breached a barrier outside, allows the public to see and hear new details from a turbulent day that ultimately led to President Donald Trump’s second impeachment.

As the just-under-two-minute recording begins and the door is opened, cheers are heard from crowds of demonstrators gathered outside. Once inside, the mob fans out, passing a Senate appointments desk and heading toward a bank of elevators.

Half of the video depicts the showdown between Goodman and the angry mob, and lets viewers see more clearly the size of the crowd and its rage. “Where they countin’ the votes?!” yells a man in the crowd repeatedly after rioters approach Goodman, who was blocking a corridor and stairs that lead to the Senate floor and other key offices.

Goodman had been guarding the entrance before demonstrators broke open a door moments earlier on the west side of the Capitol. After a loud crack, rioters are seen streaming into the building to the sound of glass breaking. Some chanted “U-S-A” as they sought out lawmakers.

The video also shows the brief, but tense, standoff with Goodman as he keeps his hand on his gun holster. Goodman — eyes wide and mask sliding below his face — continues trying to keep the crowd at bay. “Don’t do it!” someone shouts.

It soon became clear that Goodman was outnumbered. He turns and heads up the stairs he had been blocking moments earlier.

“Are you going to beat us all?” a man in the crowd says. Seconds later, the camera pans to the floor and cuts out.

The Justice Department said this week that at least 30 people have been charged for crimes committed at the Capitol.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers has introduced a bill to award Goodman the Congressional Gold Medal for luring the mob away from lawmakers. Goodman is a 40-year-old U.S. Army veteran and deployed with the 101st Airborne Division to Iraq for a year, The Washington Post reported.

Derek Willis, Jeff Kao, Lisa Song contributed reporting.

Latest News

Notable Replies

  1. Those who support the Constitution must come to an understanding.

    “Stop The Steal”, which was started long ago by the corrupt Trump-pardoned Trump-adviser Roger Stone, was never intended to deal with a stolen election, though that is what its propaganda insisted. “Stop The Steal” was actually “Start The Steal”. The intent was to usurp the Constitution, effectively depose the legally elected POTUS-elect, and impose the loser as POTUS.

    The people who assaulted Congress were performing seditious acts and insurrection. In other words, they were performing an Act of War in open Rebellion against our government in blatant opposition to our Constitution. What I am saying is that these people are traitors.

    One of the insurrectionists openly stated that “Death is the only remedy.” Believe him. Some of these people had every intention of capturing and executing representatives of our government. These people are traitors.

    I am not a fan of the death penalty, but I believe that some of these people either need to be made martyrs, or they need to be locked away for a very, very long time. Along with the seditionist who inspired and directed their violent and murderous acts, Donald J. Trump.

  2. “Where they countin’ the votes!?”

    They’s countin’ 'em in your trailer, Redneck.

  3. Thank God for people that still do the right thing, even at risk of their own lives. God bless you, Eugene Goodman. You were well-named.

  4. Types like this think votes in a election long finished are actually counted in some secret room in the capitol with jews rocking slowly in high backed chairs, steepling their fingers like Mr. Burns in The Simpsons.

    “Excellent.”

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

88 more replies

Participants

Avatar for austin_dave Avatar for jnbenson Avatar for jw1 Avatar for mattinpa Avatar for fargo116 Avatar for clemmers Avatar for kilgoretrout Avatar for steviedee111 Avatar for teenlaqueefa Avatar for irasdad Avatar for lastroth Avatar for leftcoaster Avatar for schmed Avatar for tribalogical Avatar for tena Avatar for ljb860 Avatar for castor_troy Avatar for the_loan_arranger Avatar for occamscoin Avatar for txlawyer Avatar for rascal_crone Avatar for captchristopherscot Avatar for dicktater Avatar for Volvo_Birkenstock

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: