New security video shows lawmakers fleeing during Capitol riot

House Democrats on Wednesday unveiled new security footage from the Jan. 6 riot in which police can be seen directing lawmakers to safety as they came within feet of rioters inside the Capitol. 

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), during remarks on the second day of former President Trump’s Senate impeachment trial, played previously unseen security footage showing lawmakers and congressional staff being rushed down a hallway. Just steps away in the videos, police officers were holding back rioters.

The hallway was also located near where Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman encountered a mob and led them upstairs and away from the Senate chamber. 

Rep. Eric Swalwell plays Capitol security footage showing officers forming a line to block nearby rioters from reaching lawmakers and their staff

He tells Congress members, “You were just 58 steps away from where the mob was amassing and where police were rushing to stop them” pic.twitter.com/1VhBGKer2v

— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 10, 2021

“You know how close you came to the mob. Some of you, I understand, could hear them,” Swalwell told the Senate on Wednesday. “But most of the public does not know how close these rioters came to you.” 

Swalwell told senators he measured about 58 steps “from where the mob was amassing and where police were rushing to stop them.” 

Swalwell twice played the new security footage.

“Capitol Police created a line and blocked the hallway with their bodies to prevent rioters at the end of the hall from reaching you and your staff,” the congressman said. 

Other new security footage from the Jan. 6 riot showed Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) moving down a hallway with his security team, then being rushed back after encountering a group of rioters.

House impeachment managers unveiled a wave of harrowing new footage and audio showing how close lawmakers came to rioters as the mob overtook the Capitol, as well as how law enforcement struggled to contain the breach. 

Until now, video from those security cameras had not been shown to the public. The FBI has taken possession of most of those videos as part of its ongoing investigating into the Jan. 6 assault.  

The House impeachment managers also addressed in their arguments Wednesday how some of the rioters who broke into the Capitol indicated they wanted to assassinate then-Vice President Pence for refusing to honor then-President Trump’s demands to block the certification of now-President Biden’s electoral win. 

Swalwell, along with Del. Stacey Plaskett (D-Virgin Islands), on Wednesday recounted the timeline of the events on Jan. 6, showing security footage as well as videos posted on social media from the chaos. Several people died during the riot. 

The House managers this week are arguing that Trump incited the violent mob attack through his continued claims of a “stolen” election, despite legal findings against his claims. Many of those charged with breaching the Capitol on Jan. 6 are documented Trump supporters.

Democrats have also argued Trump failed to condemn far-right groups with a history of using violent tactics.