Romney warned McConnell days before Jan. 6 that Trump could be 'instigator' of violence

In the four days prior to the deadly January 6, 2021 insurrection at the US Capitol, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) sent a text message to then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) saying he was concerned about senators' safety prior to the scheduled certification of 2020 Electoral College votes. McConnell never responded.

Author McKay Coppins — who wrote the biography Romney: A Reckoning last year — published the ominous January 2 text message in an article for The Atlantic.

"In case you have not heard this, I just got a call from [Maine independent senator] Angus King, who said that he had spoken with a senior official at the Pentagon who reports that they are seeing very disturbing social media traffic regarding the protests planned on the 6th," the message read. "There are calls to burn down your home, Mitch; to smuggle guns into DC, and to storm the Capitol."

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"I hope that sufficient security plans are in place, but I am concerned that the instigator — the President — is the one who commands the reinforcements the DC and Capitol police might require," he added.

Romney himself narrowly avoided a crowd of insurrectionists after their breach of the US Capitol. While trying to escape to safety, the Utah senator initially walked in the direction of rioters before being ushered in a different direction by US Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman. Moments later, Goodman confronted rioters in a capitol hallway who were just steps away from the unguarded US Senate chamber, where numerous elected officials were sheltering in place. Goodman shoved one of rioters, prompting the crowd to follow him as he led them away from senators.

"I was very fortunate indeed that Officer Goodman was there to get me in the right direction," Romney said at the time. "I expressed my appreciation to him for coming to my aid and getting me back into the path of safety and express my appreciation for all that he did that day."

President Joe Biden commemorated the second anniversary of the January 6 attack last year by awarding the Presidential Citizens Medal — the second-highest civilian honor — to Goodman and several other US Capitol police officers for their actions during the insurrection.

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