(TheRedWire.com) – The January 6, 2021, riot on Capitol Hill took its toll on police officers. Weeks after the event, officials said 140 Capitol Police sustained numerous injuries. Among them were two with cracked ribs, two who endured smashed spinal discs, and one stabbed with a metal fence stake. Officer Brian Sicknick died on January 7 from multiple strokes after suffering beatings during the riot, and two other officers committed suicide. On Tuesday, January 6, Congress honored those first responders who protected the Capitol during the riot. One fallen officer’s family snubbed Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).
The family of fallen officer Sicknick, and others, greeted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Majority Leader Chuch Schumer (D-NY) with a handshake or a hug as they accepted Congressional Gold Medals. Then, several of them moved quickly past McConnell and McCarthy, refusing to shake hands. McConnell outstretched his hand as the family, and some officers, walked by them.
During Congressional Gold Medal ceremony for Jan. 6 police, representatives of those receiving awards shake hands with Schumer then walk past McConnell and McCarthy. pic.twitter.com/YGjKXRGtiZ
— Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) December 6, 2022
After the snub, the two Republican leaders thanked the officers for their service and acts of heroism on that fateful day. When asked by reporters about what happened, McConnell praised the law enforcers for putting their lives on the line. In the hours and days after the riot, police criticized the response from McCarthy. Some GOP members downplayed the event, and the Minority Leader minimized then-President Donald Trump’s role in the incident.
Copyright 2022, TheRedWire.com
