Romney: A Reckoning

The author opens with a startling description of Romney’s anxiety about death and his obsessive focus on his health. He works out regularly, eats as healthy a diet as he can, and hopes to live to age 120, though he knows this hope is unrealistic.

On January 2, 2021, he experiences an unnerving feeling. There is chatter about an upcoming rally in Washington DC, and Romney’s name has been listed in connection with those who might be targeted. 

Romney texts Mitch McConnell to express his concern and asks if sufficient security measures have been put in place. McConnell never responds. Ann Romney, Mitt’s wife, asks him to stay in Utah until the election is certified and the protest is over. On January 6, he enters the Senate chamber and is not surprised that Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Representative Paul Gosar of Arizona object to the certification of Arizona’s election results. Outside of the cloistered Senate, Trump and his supporters are wreaking havoc. The protesters breach the barrier, and security officers try to corral the senators. Romney yells at Missouri Senator Josh Hawley. The scene is chaotic and violent. 

The author notes that he and Romney started meeting a few months after that. They often meet at Romney’s townhouse, a practical home a mile from the Capitol.