Never-before-seen footage of Capitol riot shown as evidence in impeachment trial
House impeachment managers on Wednesday played previously unseen footage of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol as evidence during the second day of former President Donald Trump’s Senate impeachment trial.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Maryland Democrat and lead impeachment manager, warned parents and teachers to be cautious in allowing children or students to watch clips shared during the trial as they show “shocking violence, bloodshed and pain in the nation’s Capitol.”
The surveillance footage showed the view from inside the Capitol as rioters smashed windows and eventually broke into the building, overwhelming the one police officer seen in the immediate area.
The mob then poured into the building — holding baseball bats and riot shields.
Another clip showed Capitol Police officer Eugene Goodman rushing to respond to the breach and later drawing rioters away from the Senate chamber and toward additional officers. The footage shows Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah nearly encountering the rioters until Goodman redirects him.
Other footage shows then-Vice President Mike Pence and lawmakers being evacuated.
At one point, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer can be seen walking up a ramp with his security detail and then quickly turning back and running away before officers shut the door behind them.
Rep. Eric Swalwell, a Democrat from California and a House impeachment manager, said as the video played that Schumer came “within yards” of rioters.
Staffers of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi were seen on security footage running into a room and barricading themselves minutes before rioters stormed the hallway and tried to get inside.
In another clip, one of Pelosi’s staffers can be heard whispering into a phone while hiding from rioters.
“We need Capitol Police come into the hallway,” the staffer says. “They’re pounding the doors trying to find her.”
Bodycam footage shows one officer being beaten by rioters while on the ground outside the Capitol.
The newly-released video comes after Raskin opened his side’s case Tuesday with graphic footage of the attack by a mob in support of Trump that left five people dead and many other injured. The video showed Trump telling his supporters to march on Capitol Hill at a rally shortly before the attack.
“If that’s not an impeachable offense, then there is no such thing,” Raskin said after the video.
Tuesday focused on the constitutionality of trying a former president — with hours of debate and a vote on whether to move forward with the trial.
Trump’s legal team — which left some Senate Republicans “perplexed” and “stunned” — argued it’s an “affront to the Constitution” to hold an impeachment trial for a former president and that conviction is no longer required since Trump lost the election.
Democratic Rep. Joe Neguse of Colorado, another impeachment manager, made the case that trying Trump is constitutional, saying “presidents can’t inflame insurrection in their final weeks and then walk away like nothing happened” and pointing to precedent for trying former officeholders.
Senators eventually voted to move forward with the trial, with six Republicans and all Democrats in favor.
On Wednesday, House impeachment managers are presenting their opening arguments. They have 16 hours over two days to present their side. Trump’s lawyers will then have the same amount of time to present their case.
The trial comes after the U.S. House of Representatives in January impeached Trump on charges that he incited an insurrection, making him the first president to be impeached more than once.
Trump’s conviction in the Senate is unlikely as it would require a two-thirds majority and therefore 17 Republicans to vote in favor along with all Democrats. If convicted, the Senate can bar Trump from holding federal office in the future by a simple majority vote.
This story was originally published February 10, 2021 at 4:45 PM with the headline "Never-before-seen footage of Capitol riot shown as evidence in impeachment trial."
