After the events of the January 6 insurrection, the U.S. Senate voted unanimously to award Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman—who gained national notoriety for bravely leading Trump supporters away from the Senate chamber—a Congressional Gold Medal.
Goodman was present to receive his commendation and the Senate rose to applaud the officer. One Senator, however, appeared to stand without actually clapping.
Video footage of the moment seems to show Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky showing little enthusiasm for the moment.
Paul later claimed on Twitter "there is no bigger supporter of the Capitol Police than me."
He also claimed the video shared widely online was a "deceptive media edit."
Despite his insistence, Rand was condemned online for his lack of support.
People chose to believe the video over Paul's claims.
Until Paul offered alternate video of the moment—which he has not—many online were inclined to believe what they'd seen.
Many other people pointed out if Paul truly supported the Capitol Police, he would have been more offended by the insurrection which put them in danger.
Twitter dragged Paul for his apparent lack of support for an officer who put himself in danger to protect Senators like him.
For many, Paul's claims of support felt insincere.
Rand Paul can write he's a huge supporter of Officer Goodman, but the video evidence seems to show otherwise.
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