12 GOP congressmen vote against honoring Capitol Police who protected them in riot

A dozen House Republicans on Wednesday voted against a resolution that would award Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department congressional gold medals for responding to the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol, an attack that killed one officer and left more than 100 others injured.

The 12 GOP lawmakers who voted against awarding law enforcement agencies Congress’s highest honor constituted a larger group than the number of House Republicans who voted to impeach Donald Trump for inciting the insurrection. Just 10 Republicans voted to impeach Trump.

The GOP lawmakers who voted against giving the congressional gold medal are: Reps. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Michael Cloud (R-TX), Andrew Clyde (R-GA), Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Louie Gohmert (R-TX), Bob Good (R-VA), Lance Gooden (R-TX), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Andy Harris (R-MD), Thomas Massie (R-KY), John Rose (R-TN), and Greg Steube (R-FL).

All but one of those lawmakers voted to block certification of President Joe Biden’s victory after the insurrection. Massie was the only lawmaker in that group who voted to certify Biden’s win.

A number of these lawmakers were angry that the resolution — which was introduced by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — mentioned that “insurrectionists” attacked the Capitol.

The text of Pelosi’s resolution reads, “On January 6, 2021, a mob of insurrectionists forced its way into the U.S. Capitol building and congressional office buildings and engaged in acts of vandalism, looting, and violently attacked Capitol Police officers.”

It later says, “The desecration of the U.S. Capitol, which is the temple of our American Democracy, and the violence targeting Congress are horrors … will forever stain our Nation’s history.”

Earlier in the day, Gohmert had circulated a competing resolution that stripped mention of the insurrection, as well as how the Capitol Police officer who was killed in the attack — Brian Sicknick — died.

Gohmert’s resolution only said Sicknick “passed in January 2021” — even though two members of the pro-Donald Trump mob have now been arrested and charged with assaulting Sicknick.

Gohmert’s resolution did not get a vote.

In a statement explaining why he did not support Pelosi’s resolution, Gohmert wrote, “Speaker Pelosi’s bill, HR 1085, does not honor anyone, but rather seeks to drive a narrative that isn’t substantiated by known facts.  We absolutely do want to show our gratitude and respect for the U.S. Capitol Police, so I removed the Speaker’s false and politicized narrative in order to arrive at legislation that truly honors those who selflessly serve us in Congress.”

There is nothing false in the text of Pelosi’s resolution.

A mob of insurrectionists did storm the Capitol in an effort to try to block the certification Biden’s victory. In so doing, the insurrectionists killed and injured law enforcement officers and caused damage to the Capitol building.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, a Democrat, condemned the Republicans who voted against the resolution.

Hoyer wrote in a statement Wednesday night:

It is deeply unfortunate that a number of House Republicans opposed this action as they attempt to erase the events of January 6 and deny the responsibility of a far-right, insurrectionist mob incited by former President Trump.  The alternative resolution they have proposed insults the memory of the officer who was killed defending the Capitol and the two others who died as a result of the attack in its immediate aftermath, using language implying that the three officers did not lose their lives in the line of duty.  Such disrespect for the heroes who courageously tried to protect the American people’s Capitol is disgusting.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.