The video was taken by a rioter, who entered the Capitol just moments after the breach. It shows the Proud Boys gazing past the officer at the senator. However, it is unclear if he recognized Grassley. As the camera pans, Pezzola is shown speaking on his phone before turning away from the scene.
That first wave of the mob — which also included Jacob Chansley, known as the “QAnon Shaman” — would moments later follow Capitol Police officer Eugene Goodman up a flight of stairs to come within feet of the Senate chamber in a now-famous confrontation.
The footage is the latest example of how close powerful government figures came to a direct brush with the mob of then-President Donald Trump’s supporters. According to evidence released Jan. 6, the Jan. 6 select panel, rioters came within 40 feetof Mike Pence’s evacuation. And then-Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, accompanied by his own security detail, came within sight of rioter Joshua Pruitt while waiting for an elevator.
According to a “statement” by Pruitt and prosecutors, “The security detail and Senator Schumer changed course and ran away from Pruitt’s elevator, back down the ramp and away from Pruitt.” This was in connection to his plea deal.
Then-Vice President-elect Kamala Harris had a different kind of close call on Jan. 6: She had been ensconced at Democratic National Committee headquarters near the Capitol when police discovered pipe bombs had been placed outside the DNC and RNC buildings.
Just moments before the timing of the video, Grassley had been presiding over the Senate — filling in for Pence, who was evacuated from the floor himself just minutes earlier by Secret Service agents. The Iowan was at that time the Senate president pro-tem, which placed him in the line for presidential succession.
C-SPAN footage showed Grassley being rapidly ushered off the Senate dais at about 2:15 p.m. and out a nearby door.
Grassley said that he didn’t recall details of the rushed evacuation. He noted that he was taken down a backstairway to the Capitol’s first floor, where footage shows that he had a close encounter with rioters. Then he was taken down another staircase to the basement. Although Grassley’s staff declined to comment, they did not dispute the fact that the footage showed the senator’s quick exit from the Senate.
Grassley stated that he wasn’t aware about any of the near-encounters. “They just said: ‘We’ve got to get you out of here.'”
The footage also highlights the possibility of additional revelations about Jan. 6, sitting in the thousands hours of security camera video that Speaker Kevin McCarthy indicated he would release publicly after providing early access for Carlson.
And Grassley’s evacuation isn’t the only snapshot laid bare by recently released footage in Jan. 6 criminal cases. Other film shows the moment the Senate parliamentarian’s door was breached, leading to rioters ransacking her office. NBC recently revealed that Sen. Jim Risch’s (R-Idaho) hideaway was among those trashed by rioters.
In addition, court papers connected to a newly filed criminal case indicate that rioters breached the House Appropriations Committee’s third-floor space in the building, before Capitol Police officers with their guns drawn subdued them.
According to the charges, “There, officers held rioters under surveillance while Members of the House of Representatives evacuated from the House Gallery.”
These new details add to the well-known breaches of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Sen. Jeff Merkley (D.Ore.), hideaway, and the Senate chamber itself.
After media outlets requested videos that the government used to sentence Chansley, the video of Grassley’s close encounter with Grassley was made public. Chansley is a well-known member of the Jan.6 mob because of his appearance during the attack. He wore a Viking helmet and face paint and walked shirtless through the Capitol.
After Carlson aired security footage of Chansley walking calmly alongside officers, Chansley returned to the spotlight. The Justice Department misrepresented the footage as being authorized by police.
The footage of Chansley’s entry into the Capitol, just moments after Pezzola set off the breach by smashing the window, appears to have been taken by Jan. 6 defendant Daniel Adams, who closely followed Chansley inside. Adams can be seen on security footage holding up his camera and recording the moment.
Pezzola, along with other Proud Boys leaders, is currently being tried for seditious conspiracies.
Chansley also highlights a moment in the video, which he had defended himself by pointing out: Chansley’s chastising of another member the mob for trying to steal items from Senate refectory. Other recently released footage shows members of the Proud Boys snatching snacks and drinks from the convenience store after they entered the building.
The Justice Department indicated that Carlson’s footage showed only a four-minute window of the hour Chansley spent inside the Capitol. That time also included Chansley breaching police lines outside the complex, a standoff with police outside of the Senate chamber and his decision to leave an ominous note for Pence on the Senate dais.