Officers receive congressional medals for Jan. 6 defense

WASHINGTON — House and Senate leaders introduce law enforcement officers who defended the US Capitol January 6, 2021 They won the congressional gold medal on Tuesday, giving them Congress’ highest honor nearly two years after they fought supporters of former President Donald Trump in brutal and bloody attacks.

Medals will be placed in four locations (Capitol Police Headquarters, Metropolitan Police Department, Capitol, and Smithsonian Institution) to honor the hundreds of police officers who were on the Capitol on January 6. President Joe Biden is signed Last year, a law was enacted to place medals in Smithsonian museums so that “all visitors can understand what happened on that day.”

The ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda takes place as Democrats just weeks before losing their House majority. race to finish An almost 18-month investigation of the rebellion. Democrats and two Republicans conducting an investigation have vowed to reveal details of the attack. Fight like hell,’ he urged.

The awarding of the medal will be one of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s final ceremonial acts. get off from leadership. When the bill passed the House more than a year ago, she said law enforcement officers across the city defended the Capitol because they “heard and responded to the call to serve and put their country before themselves.” He said it was because he was “the type of American.”

“They allowed us to go back to the Capitol and to prove Biden’s presidency. We stood on that podium that night and our democracy won and thanks to them We have shown the world that we have succeeded.”

Dozens of police officers who fought off the riot were seriously injured. As a mob of Trump supporters stormed past them into the Capitol, police were beaten with American flags and their own guns, dragged down the stairs, sprayed with chemicals, trampled and crushed by the crowd. rice field. The officers suffered physical injuries, including brain injuries and other lifelong effects, and many were so traumatized that they struggled to work afterward.

four officers testified During last year’s House hearings, he spoke candidly about his lingering mental and physical scars and several detailed near-death experiences.

London Metropolitan Police Officer Daniel Hodges described him foaming, bleeding and screaming at his mouth as the mob gouged out his eyes and tried to squeeze him between two heavy doors. . “He was grabbed, beaten and tasted the whole time he was called a traitor to our country,” said Inspector Michael Fannon of the Metropolitan Police who rushed to the scene. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn said a crowd of people shouted the N word at him as he tried to prevent him from breaking into the House floor.

At least nine people in the Capitol that day died during and after the riot. Among them was a woman shot dead by police while trying to break into the House floor, and three other Trump supporters who suffered medical emergencies. police officers committed suicide, and a third, Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, later died when one of the mobs collapsed after spraying chemicals. The coroner determined he died of natural causes.

In August 2021, months after the attacks, the Metropolitan Police Department announced that two more police officers responding to the riot had committed suicide. The circumstances leading to their death were unknown.

The June 2021 House vote to award the medal received broad support from both parties. But 21 House Republicans voted against — lawmakers who downplayed violence and remained loyal to Trump. The Senate passed the bill by voice vote, without Republican opposition.

Pelosi, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell will attend the ceremony and present the medals. Capitol Police Commissioner Thomas Munger and Metropolitan Police Commissioner Robert Conte will also attend.

The Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor conferred by Congress, has been awarded by the legislature since 1776. Previous winners include George Washington, Sir Winston Churchill, Bob Hope and Robert Frost. In recent years, Congress has awarded medals to former New Orleans Saints player Steve Gleason, who has become a leading advocate for those suffering from Lou Gehrig’s disease, and biker Greg Lemon.

Biden, who signed the bill into law at the White House last year, said he can’t forget the officer’s heroism.

He said the riots were a “violent attempt to overthrow the will of the American people” and that Americans must understand what happened. “Honest and bare truth. We have to face it.”