Lawmakers are pushing to honor U.S. Capitol Police hero Eugene Goodman with a medal after his valor and quick thinking may have saved legislators’ lives during the violent insurrection in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021.
Legislators are sponsoring a bipartisan bill to award Goodman with the Congressional Gold Medal, led by U.S. Reps. Charlie Crist, D-Florida, Emanuel Cleaver II, D-Missouri, and Nancy Mace, R-South Carolina.
In a press release obtained by CBS News, Crist said many powerful senators and aides are indebted to Goodman.
“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,” Crist said. “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.
“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.”
Goodman “was the only thing standing between Members of Congress and the violent mob, he quickly and selflessly redirected their fury upon himself so those Members could escape,” Mace said about Goodman, an Army veteran who served in Iraq.
“Thanks to his valor, we are here today. From the bottom of my heart, I cannot thank him enough for his bravery and for his dedication to the call of duty.”
CBS noted that previous recipients of the Congressional Gold Medal include Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Coretta Scott King as well as the nation’s first president, George Washington, and Thomas Edison.
