Vox Sentences - January 6 could have been much worse

Democrats demonstrate how close insurrectionists got to lawmakers; President Biden has his first call with China’s Xi Jinping.

Tonight's Sentences was written by Gabby Birenbaum.

• In a series of chilling videos and explanations, the House Democratic impeachment managers laid out this week a chronological timeline of the events of January 6, including a number of instances in which the mob got much closer to lawmakers than had previously been reported. [Politico / Kyle Cheney and Andrew Desiderio]
• The managers played testimony from rioters about their intention to kill former Vice President Mike Pence. Then, using new footage, the House managers showed that rioters came within 100 feet of where Pence, his family and security detail were hiding in a room before being evacuated from the building. [The Washington Post / Elyse Samuels, Joyce Sohyun Lee, Sarah Cahlan, and Meg Kelly]
• In another revelation, House managers played footage of Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) rushing in the wrong direction, almost colliding with the mob, until Officer Eugene Goodman sprinted towards him to turn him around. [Vox / Li Zhou]
• In one of the most troubling clips, Delegate Stacey Plaskett (D-VI) showed staffers of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rushing to shelter in a conference room. Then, rioters, tauntingly chanting the speaker’s name, attempted to break down the door. [The New York Times / Nicholas Fandos]
• Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) played clips showing Senators of their own hurried evacuation from the chamber, before revealing the mob was, by his measurements, 58 steps from where they were. [The Hill / Celine Castronuovo]
• Though it will likely not make a difference to Republican senators, most of them sat captivated watching the footage, with Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) becoming emotional and Romney realizing just how close he had come to the insurrectionists. [The Associated Press / Lisa Mascaro, Eric Tucker, Mary Clare Jalonick, and Jill Colvin]
• Despite not watching the hearings live, President Biden said he believes some Republicans may change their minds after seeing the footage. But conviction remains an unlikely outcome. [Politico / Ben Leonard]
• Rep. Jamie Raskin summed up the House impeachment managers’ argument by comparing Trump’s actions to the famous First Amendment exception of shouting fire in a crowded theater – except that Trump was also the fire chief. [Vox / Aaron Rupar]