- House
impeachment managers on Wednesday aired previously unseen footage of theCapitol siege . - The footage showed how close the rioters came to lawmakers, plus Officer Eugene Goodman's heroism.
- On Tuesday at the trial, the impeachment managers also showed graphic footage of the Capitol riot.
The Democratic impeachment managers in former President
The new Capitol security footage showed how close rioters got to the Senate chamber and how quickly they overpowered a lone police officer who attempted to use pepper spray as a deterrent after they broke windows and climbed into the Capitol.
Rep. Stacey Plaskett of the US Virgin Islands, an impeachment manager, said one of the insurrectionists could be seen in full tactical body armor and wielding a metal baseball bat, while others carried riot shields.
"As the rioters reach the top of the stairs, they were within 100 feet of where Vice President Pence was sheltering with his family," Plaskett said. Rioters chanted "hang Mike Pence" amid the Capitol attack on January 6, as Trump had pressured the vice president to overturn the election results. Pence did not have the authority to adhere to Trump's demands, and the president strongly criticized the vice president for refusing his request.
The footage also showed Officer Eugene Goodman, who has been widely praised for his handling of the riot and for drawing rioters away from the Senate chamber, urging GOP Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah to turn around and get to safety.
PBS NewsHour's Yamiche Alcindor on Tuesday morning first reported the existence of the footage before oral arguments kicked off.
Alcindor quoted a Democratic source who said the video would show "just how close Trump's mob came to senators, members of Congress, and staff."
An aide told The Washington Post the video would show "extreme violence," adding: "It will show the extent of what Donald Trump unleashed on our Capitol."
The footage is one part of the House managers' video-heavy presentation in Trump's impeachment trial. The House of Representatives on January 13 charged Trump with "incitement of insurrection" in connection with the deadly Capitol siege.
Impeachment managers on Wednesday also released previously unheard radio communications between law enforcement, in which the officers described being attacked and called for reinforcements.
On Tuesday, the Senate trial kicked off with a debate over the constitutionality of holding a trial in the first place, given that Trump is no longer in office and therefore cannot be removed via a conviction. Fifty-six senators voted that the trial was constitutional, while 44 voted that it was not, paving the way for oral arguments to start Wednesday.
The House impeachment managers said there was no "January exception" to impeachment because it would mean presidents could act with impunity during their final days in office. Trump's actions are impeachable, they said, because he carried them out while in office. Additionally, removal from office is not the only objective of impeachment. Officials can be barred from holding office again if they are convicted.
Trump's defense lawyers leaned heavily on the constitutionality argument, and they also said he was deprived of due process and that the Senate was not the appropriate jurisdiction to "try" Trump.
House impeachment managers have already relied on using video to make their case against Trump. At the start of the trial on Tuesday, lead House impeachment manager Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland showed graphic footage of the Capitol riot. It depicted Trump supporters verbally and physically assaulting police officers, juxtaposing the violence and mayhem with the speech the president delivered before the riot.