- Lawmakers in the House of Representatives have put forward a bipartisan bill to award
Capitol Police officer and Army veteranEugene Goodman the Congressional Gold Medal. - The officer is credited with singlehandedly defending the Senate from a mob of Trump supporters during last Wednesday' riots.
- Members of Congress, as well as the Army, have celebrated Goodman as a hero for his actions.
Several lawmakers have put forward legislation to award Capitol Police officer and Army veteran Eugene Goodman one of the highest civilian awards in the US for his actions during the assault on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob last Wednesday.
The bipartisan bill introduced by Florida Democrat Rep. Charlie Crist, Missouri Democrat Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, and South Carolina Republican Rep. Nancy Mace calls for Goodman to receive the Congressional Gold Medal.
During the riots on Jan. 6, the Black officer cleverly and singlehandedly lured a mob of Trump supporters away from the Senate chambers, which were still being secured. The scene was caught on video.
—Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) January 6, 2021
In the video, Goodman pauses and looks toward the Senate floor before leading the rioters the other direction with what looked like a retreat but was actually a ruse to get them to think their intended target was elsewhere in the building.
"It was the smartest thing that he could have ever done," one of Goodman's colleagues told The Washington Post Wednesday. "I don't know that many people who can think on their feet like that."
Goodman's co-worker said that his "quick thinking enabled those senators to get to safety."
"The United States Capitol was under attack by armed, violent extremists, and Officer Eugene Goodman was the only thing standing between the mob and the United States Senate," Congressman Crist said in a statement.
"I shudder to think what might have happened had it not been for Officer Goodman's fast thinking and commitment to his duty and his country," he continued. "While some will remember last Wednesday for the very worst in our country, the patriotism and heroics of Officer Eugene Goodman renew my faith and remind us all what truly makes the United States great."
Many other lawmakers in both the House and the Senate have praised Goodman for his courage, which is believed to have saved lives.
A friend of Goodman's told The Post that "he'd do the same thing again" if he had to and that the officer is "not looking for any accolades." They added that the attention has actually made Goodman uneasy.
Goodman served in the Army from 2002 and 2006 and deployed to Iraq for one year with the 101st Airborne Division.
—101st Airborne Div. (@101stAASLTDIV) January 13, 2021
The XVIII Airborne Corps celebrated Goodman's valor in a tweet Wednesday, writing "Eugene was a hero long before last Wednesday."
—XVIII Airborne Corps (@18airbornecorps) January 14, 2021
Last week's violent assault on the Capitol was an attempt by President Donald Trump's supporters to derail efforts by Congress to certify President-elect Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential election, which lawmakers successfully did after the Capitol was secured.
The episode saw five people lose their lives, including Capitol Police officer and Air National Guard veteran Brian Sicknick, who made the ultimate sacrifice when he was killed in the line of duty.
To honor his sacrifice, flags were lowered to half mast, and lawmakers have called for Sicknick to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
For his role in inciting the deadly riots, the president was impeached a second time by the House of Representatives Wednesday, making Trump the only president in US history to be impeached twice.