U.S. House Democrats gather on the East Steps of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2023, the second anniversary of the attack on the Capitol. Photo by Ariana Figueroa/States Newsroom
NC’s Deborah Ross praise Capitol police, mourns lost officers
Two years after a mob of Donald Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to undo Trump’s loss in the 2020 presidential election, Democrats in Congress on Friday vowed to remember the Capitol police officers who died, hold Trump accountable and prevent similar attacks in the future.
Democrats applauded the work of the House committee to investigate the attack, which published its final report last month that held Trump largely responsible for the insurrection, and passage of the Electoral Count Act that tweaked the process of certifying presidential elections.
They also warned that more needed to be done to protect the nation’s form of government.
“Jan. 6, 2021 was the most sweeping attack on the U.S. Capitol ever by domestic forces,” Maryland Democrat Jamie Raskin tweeted. “Numerous people died, 150 officers were wounded, and we came close to losing our constitutional democracy. Two years later, we must remember this solemn anniversary.”
House Democrats held an event on the Capitol steps Friday morning to commemorate the anniversary, and dozens of members issued statements about the attack.
“Two years ago today, our nation watched in horror as a terrorist mob stormed the Capitol grounds in a violent attempt to subvert the peaceful transfer of power,” outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement. “The January 6th insurrection shook our Republic to its core – and left behind physical scars and emotional trauma on members of our Congressional community and our Country that endure to this day.”
Pelosi thanked police, commended the House for returning hours after the attack to certify the election results and hoped that Jan. 6 — which also marks the Feast of the Epiphany in her Catholic tradition — would “serve as an epiphany for our nation.”
Rep. Deborah Ross praised the response of police to the January 6, 2021 insurrection.
Praising police
Members who released statements Friday about the attack were united in praising the law enforcement response.
“What was a day of unimaginable horror was also a moment of extraordinary heroism, as courageous law enforcement officers stared down the insurrectionists to protect the Capitol,” Pelosi said. “We are forever grateful to these heroes, and we continue to pray for the fallen, the afflicted and their families.”
“Although we saw our democracy fall under attack that day, we also saw it prevail,” former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, a Democrat of Maryland, said. “Despite the president’s refusal to intervene, the Capitol Police — aided by the D.C. Metro Police, the National Guard, and an assortment of other brave first responders — drove back the assault.”
Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick died from injuries he sustained in the attack and four other police officers took their own lives in the following days. Several statements mourned their passing.
“Today, we mourn the brave lives we lost and thank our courageous law enforcement officers who defended the beacon of our democracy on that terrible day,” North Carolina Democrat Deborah Ross said.
French Hill, a Republican of Arkansas, was one of few GOP members to publicly reflect on the attack. He thanked law enforcement officers in a tweet.
“As America reflects on the violence that took place two years ago today, I am grateful for the men and women of the @CapitolPolice and for their bravery and service to protect members, staff, and the Capitol,” he wrote.
Congressional probe
Several Democrats praised the work of the House Select Committee to Investigate the Jan. 6, 2021, Attack on the U.S. Capitol, whose fact-finding over its 18 months of work revealed new details about Trump’s involvement in a multipart plan to overturn the election results. Read more
