Eugene Goodman | |
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Deputy Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate | |
Acting January 20, 2021 –March 2, 2021 | |
Sergeant at Arms | Jennifer Hemingway (acting) [1] |
Preceded by | Jennifer Hemingway [1] |
Succeeded by | Kelly Fado [2] |
Personal details | |
Born | 1980 (age 41–42) |
Nationality | American |
Occupation | Law enforcement officer |
Police career | |
Department | United States Capitol Police |
Service years | 2009–present |
Military career | |
Allegiance | United States |
Service/ | United States Army |
Years of service | 2002–2006 [3] |
Rank | Sergeant |
Unit | 101st Airborne Division |
Battles/wars | Iraq War |
2021 United States Capitol attack |
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Timeline of events |
Background |
Participants |
Aftermath |
Eugene Goodman (born 1980) is an American United States Capitol Police officer, who, during the 2021 United States Capitol attack, diverted the rioters from the United States Senate chamber. Goodman is a U.S. Army veteran who later served as the acting Deputy Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate from January 20, 2021, to March 2, 2021. [4] [2] On February 12, 2021, the Senate adopted a resolution awarding Goodman the Congressional Gold Medal. [5]
Goodman was born in 1980 and raised in the southeast section of Washington, D.C. [3] He served from 2002 to 2006 in the United States Army, including in combat with the 101st Airborne Division in the Iraq War. [6] [7] As a sergeant deployed to Iraq in 2005, Goodman led a 10-man squad in the Sunni triangle area that conducted patrols and identified improvised explosive devices before detonation. He was described by members of his company as "calm, cool, and collected." [8] Goodman left the military in 2006 and joined the Capitol Police in 2009. [9]
On January 6, 2021, supporters of Donald Trump breached the United States Capitol building when Goodman, unaccompanied by other officers, confronted them. He has been cited for heroism in baiting and diverting the crowd away from the Senate chamber in the minutes before the chamber could be safely evacuated. As the crowd reached a landing from which there was an unimpeded path to the Senate chamber, Goodman pushed the lead person, Doug Jensen, and then retreated away from the chamber. [3] [10] [11] [12] One report described his actions as follows:
In short, he tricked them, willingly becoming the rabbit to their wolf pack, pulling them away from the chambers where armed officers were waiting, avoiding tragedy and saving lives. Lives which include their own. [13]
Those present at the time of the event, including Democratic and Republican politicians and members of the press, praised Goodman for his quick thinking and brave actions. [14] [15] [16] [17] Republican Senator Ben Sasse credited Goodman with having "single-handedly prevented untold bloodshed". [16] Goodman's former unit, the XVIII Airborne Corps, issued a statement commending his valor and saying that he "was a hero long before last Wednesday". [18]
Goodman's actions were captured in video footage taken by HuffPost reporter Igor Bobic. [19] Bobic's footage of Goodman went viral, receiving more than 10 million views. [20] [21] A second video of Goodman's confrontation with the crowd was published by ProPublica on January 15. [21] Goodman's actions have been credited with saving the lives of the Senators who, at the time, remained inside the chamber. [22]
A video released on February 10, 2021, during the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump, showed Goodman leading Senator Mitt Romney away from the rioters during the January 6 attack. [23]
Following the attack, Jaime Harrison and others called for Goodman to be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. [10] [24] A bipartisan resolution (H.Res.305) was introduced on January 13, 2021, by Representatives Charlie Crist (D-FL), Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), and Nancy Mace (R-SC) to award the medal to Goodman. [25] [26] [27] Rep. Cleaver, the original co-sponsor of the bill, [25] wrote that "If not for the quick, decisive, and heroic actions from Officer Goodman, the tragedy of last week's insurrection could have multiplied in magnitude to levels never before seen in American history. With this prestigious award, we can show our gratitude to Officer Goodman for saving countless lives and defending our democracy." [28]
Goodman was also awarded the Distinguished Public Service Award by both the secretary and chief of staff of the Army. [29]
In addition, online petitions at Change.org and Care2 to award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Goodman had received over 83,500 signatures as of January 21, 2021. [30] Following the event, Goodman said he was not looking for any accolades and expressed concern about potentially being targeted by extremists, but insisted that he would "do the same thing again". [3]
On January 20, 2021, Goodman escorted Kamala Harris to her inauguration as the Vice President of the United States. [31] He was announced as the acting deputy Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate; when stepping out onto the inauguration platform ahead of Harris, he received a standing ovation and cheers. [32]
On February 12, 2021, the U.S. Senate voted by unanimous consent to bestow the Congressional Gold Medal on Eugene Goodman. Goodman was present in the Senate chamber and received a standing ovation from the members. [5]
The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the meeting place of the United States Congress and the seat of the legislative branch of the U.S. federal government. It is located on Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Though no longer at the geographic center of the federal district, the Capitol forms the origin point for the district's street-numbering system and the district's four quadrants.
The United States Capitol Police (USCP) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States charged with protecting the United States Congress within the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its territories. It answers to the Capitol Police Board and is the only full-service federal law enforcement agency appointed by the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States.
The Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the United States Senate is the protocol officer, executive officer, and highest-ranking federal law enforcement officer of the Senate of the United States. The office of the Sergeant at Arms of the Senate has between 800 and 900 staff.
Paul Douglas Irving is an American law enforcement officer who served as the Sergeant at Arms of the United States House of Representatives from January 17, 2012, until January 7, 2021, succeeding Wilson Livingood in that post. He resigned following the 2021 United States Capitol attack.
Kevin Michael Vickers is a Canadian politician, former diplomat, and retired police officer. He served as the leader of the New Brunswick Liberal Association from 2019 to 2020, a retired Canadian diplomat, former Sergeant at Arms and former Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officer. He was the Canadian Ambassador to Ireland from 2015 until 2019. He was the ninth Sergeant-at-Arms of the House of Commons of Canada. The Sergeant-at-Arms is responsible for the safety and security of the Parliament buildings and occupants, and ensuring and controlling access to the House of Commons. The position includes the ceremonial function of carrying the ceremonial gold mace into the House of Commons before every sitting.
Michael Jonathan Cloud is an American politician representing Texas's 27th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives since 2018. He is a member of the Republican Party.
Steven A. Sund is an American police officer who served as the tenth chief of the United States Capitol Police. Sund was chief during the storming of the U.S. Capitol. Following the attack, he announced his resignation.
Andrew Scott Clyde is an American politician and gun dealer from the state of Georgia. A Republican, Clyde is the representative for Georgia's 9th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives, assuming office in 2021. The district serves a large swath of exurban and rural territory north of Atlanta, including Gainesville, Toccoa, Dawsonville and Dahlonega.
On January 6, 2021, a mob of supporters of President Donald Trump attacked the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. They sought to overturn his defeat in the 2020 presidential election by disrupting the joint session of Congress assembled to count electoral votes that would formalize then President-elect Joe Biden's victory. The Capitol Complex was locked down and lawmakers and staff were evacuated, while rioters assaulted law enforcement officers, vandalized property and occupied the building for several hours. Five people died either shortly before, during, or following the event: one was shot by Capitol Police, another died of a drug overdose, and three died of natural causes. Many people were injured, including 138 police officers. Four officers who responded to the attack died by suicide within seven months.
On January 6, 2021, during the 2021 United States Capitol attack, Capitol Police officer Michael Byrd shot and killed Ashli Babbitt, one of the rioters, after she attempted to breach a barricaded door leading to the Speaker's Lobby, where members of the United States House of Representatives were being evacuated.
Michael C. Stenger is an American law enforcement officer who served as the 41st Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate from April 16, 2018, to January 7, 2021. He resigned after a violent mob of Trump supporters attacked the capitol.
Brian Sicknick, a United States Capitol Police (USCP) officer, died on January 7, 2021, after having two thromboembolic strokes the day after he responded to the attack on the Capitol. He was placed on life support after the strokes and soon died. The District of Columbia chief medical examiner found that Sicknick had died from stroke, classifying his death as natural, whereby a death is "not hastened by an injury", and additionally commented that "all that transpired played a role in his condition." His body lay in honor in the Capitol Rotunda, before his cremated remains were buried with full honors at Arlington National Cemetery.
The following article is a broad timeline of the course of events surrounding the attack on the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021, by rioters supporting United States President Donald Trump's attempts to overturn his defeat in the 2020 presidential election. Pro-Trump rioters stormed the United States Capitol after assembling on the Ellipse of the Capitol complex for a rally headlined as the "Save America March".
In the aftermath of the 2021 United States Capitol attack, after drawing widespread condemnation from Congress, members of his administration, and the media, Trump released a video-taped statement on January 7 to stop the resignations of his staff and the threats of impeachment or removal from office. In the statement, he condemned the violence at the Capitol, saying that "a new administration will be inaugurated", which was widely seen as a concession, and his "focus now turns to ensuring a smooth, orderly, and seamless transition of power" to the Biden administration. Vanity Fair reported that Trump was at least partially convinced to make the statement by Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who told Trump a sufficient number of Senate Republicans would support removing him from office unless he conceded. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany had attempted to distance the administration from the rioters' behavior in a televised statement earlier in the day. On January 9, The New York Times reported that Trump had told White House aides he regretted committing to an orderly transition of power and would never resign from office. In a March 25 interview on Fox News, Trump defended the Capitol attackers, saying they were patriots who posed "zero threat", and he criticized law enforcement for "persecuting" the rioters.
The 2021 United States Capitol attack was followed by various political, legal, and social repercussions. The second impeachment of Donald Trump, who was charged for incitement of insurrection for his conduct, occurred on January 13. At the same time, Cabinet officials were pressured to invoke the 25th Amendment for removing Trump from office. Trump was subsequently acquitted in the Senate trial, which was held in February after Trump had already left office. The result was a 57–43 vote in favor of conviction, with every Democrat and seven Republicans voting to convict, but two-thirds of the Senate would have been required to convict. Many in the Trump administration resigned. Several large companies announced they were halting all political donations, and others have suspended funding the lawmakers who had objected to certifying Electoral College results. A bill was introduced to form an independent commission, similar to the 9/11 Commission, to investigate the events surrounding the attack; it passed the House but was blocked by Republicans in the Senate. The House then approved a House "select committee" to investigate the attack. In June, the Senate released the results of its own investigation of the riot. The event led to strong criticism of law enforcement agencies. Leading figures within the United States Capitol Police resigned.
On January 6, 2021, supporters of President Donald Trump attempted to overturn his election loss to Joe Biden by storming the capitol during a riot and violent attack against the U.S. Congress, disrupting the joint session of Congress assembled to count electoral votes to formalize Joe Biden's victory. By the end of the month, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had opened more than 400 case files and issued more than 500 subpoenas and search warrants related to the riot. The FBI also created a website to solicit tips from the public specifically related to the riot and were especially assisted by the crowdsourced sleuthing of a group that calls themselves "Sedition Hunters." By the end of 2021, 725 people were charged with federal crimes.
Law enforcement mounted a response to the 2021 United States Capitol attack, initially failing to maintain security perimeters and protect parts of the building from being breached and occupied, but succeeding to protect the members of Congress, and subsequently, as reinforcements arrived, to secure the breached Capitol.
Jeffrey L. Smith, a Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police officer, shot himself on January 15, 2021, after he assisted the United States Capitol Police on January 6, during the response to the storming of the Capitol. A medical examiner found that drastic changes in Smith's behavior after January 6 are evidence that the attack on the Capitol was the precipitating event leading to his suicide. Some have included him as a casualty of the Capitol attack. On October 13, 2021, two United States Senators and several members of the House of Representatives called for the Mayor to award Line of Duty benefits to Officer Smith and his widow Erin Smith.
William Francis "Billy" Evans was a United States Capitol Police officer, who died as a result of injuries sustained during the April 2021 United States Capitol car attack carried out by Noah Green, a 25-year-old black nationalist who espoused extremist viewpoints advanced by the Nation of Islam.
Howard Charles Liebengood, a United States Capitol Police officer, died by suicide on January 9, 2021, three days after he participated in the law enforcement response to the storming of the Capitol. He was the first of what were reported as two police suicides in the immediate aftermath of the attack, though Metropolitan Police (MPD) officer Jeffrey L. Smith's widow disputes the manner of death. In the months after the civil disturbance at the Capitol, it was generally reported that the deaths of five people who were present have, to a varying degree, been related to the event. Some members of Congress and press reports included these two in the number of fatalities, for a total of seven.