The fallen Capitol policeman who was fatally wounded while trying to contain the violent crowd that descended on the Capitol on January 6 will receive the rare distinction of lying in the Rotunda from Tuesday night.
Officer Brian Sicknick will follow two Capitol Police officers who also paid tribute in 1998, after they died in the line of duty when a sniper entered the Capitol and opened fire.
The ceremony, in what is arguably the grandest part of the Capitol, comes at a very tense moment for the Capitol police force and its leadership in the middle of the National Guard having to enter to fortify the complex.
Its members are still suffering trauma weeks after the attack and acknowledging their leadership’s failure to adequately prepare for the crowd of Trump supporters who tried to stop Congress from certifying President Biden’s victory in the elections.
Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman acknowledged to lawmakers last week that the department knew days in advance that some armed militia groups and white supremacists posed a threat to the January 6 Electoral College counting procedures, but did not secured support from the National Guard in advance.
At least 140 police officers between the Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police forces were injured during the attack, some with serious injuries ranging from broken ribs and broken spinal discs to a policeman who is expected to lose an eye.
Sicknick is one of three policemen who responded to the January 6 riots and died in the aftermath. Howard Liebengood, a Capitol Police officer, and Jeffrey Smith, a Metropolitan Police officer, died of suicide in the days following the riot.
Sicknick’s coffin will arrive at the Capitol at approximately 9:30 pm Tuesday, with an evening screening period beginning shortly after for his former Capitol Police colleagues, in which he served for more than 12 years.
Members of Congress will then be able to see the Sicknick-covered coffin at the Capitol Rotunda on Wednesday morning, before a tribute ceremony at 10:30 am.
Sicknick, who served in the National Air Guard before becoming a Capitol Police officer, will later be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
“The United States Congress is united in mourning, gratitude and solemn appreciation for the service and sacrifice of Officer Brian Sicknick,” spokesman Nancy Pelosi
Nancy PelosiBiden, Republican Party senators agree to more conversations at COVID-19 after “excellent” first meeting McConnell says Taylor Greene’s adoption of conspiracy theories is “cancer” for the Republican Party, country On The Money: Schumer promises that the Senate will accept the “bold” coronavirus bill, rejecting the GOP offer | Republican senators, Biden send positive vibes after a long meeting with WH MORE (D-Calif.) And Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer
Chuck SchumerBipartisanship in two hands – the remedy for political tribalism Fallen Capitol Policeman to be honored at the Roundabout Senate Democrats say consideration of cannabis-related reforms will be a priority MORE (DN.Y.) said in a joint statement.
Bipartisan support for Sicknick lying in honor at the Capitol Rotunda has been growing for weeks since his death on January 7, when he succumbed to his injuries from being beaten while engaging with protesters.
Deputy Don Beyer (D-Va.), Who represents the district of North Virginia where Sicknick lived, said in a statement one day after the official’s death that he “deserves” the honor of lying posthumously at the Capitol Rotunda.
Last Thursday, the representative of the Republicans of South Carolina Ralph Norman
Ralph Warren NormanFallen Capitol Police Officer will lie in honor in the Capitol Police of the Rotunda Bill that allows officers to lie in honor Legislators seek approval for Capitol Police officers to lie in honor MORE and Sen. Tim Scott
Timothy (Tim) Eugene ScottFallen Capitol Police Officer will lie in honor at the Capitol Police Roundabout bill that allows officers to lie in honor Legislators seek approval for the Capitol Police officer to lie in honor MORE introduced legislation to authorize the use of the Capitol Rotunda for Sicknick to lie in his honor and ensure that there is also a plaque in his honor near the Capitol steps.
On Friday, Pelosi and Schumer announced that Sicknick would receive the rare honor of lying at the Capitol Rotunda.
Only four other people in the history of the United States were honored – the designation for people who were not government officials or military personnel – at the Capitol Rotunda.
The others were Capitol Policeman Jacob Chestnut and Detective John Gibson after the July 1998 Capitol shootout, civil rights icon Rosa Parks in 2005 and evangelist Rev. Billy Graham in 2018.
There is also a plaque on the Capitol near where Chestnut and Gibson died in the line of duty.
Tuesday will mark the third time in less than a year that lawmakers have honored someone posthumously on Capitol Hill.
The late Supreme Court judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Ruth Bader GinsburgFallen Capitol Police Officer Honored at Durbin Roundabout for Graham: ‘Pitiful’ No Audience So Far for Garland Goodwin Liu and Experience Make It the Ideal Choice for California Attorney General MORE placed in the state at Statuary Hall in September, while the late Rep. John Lewis
John LewisFallen Capitol Policeman honored at the John Lewis memorial roundabout to replace the Confederate monument in Georgia 5 things to know about Biden’s racial equality orders MORE (D-Ga.) Placed in the state at the Capitol Rotunda last July with a public display on the steps of the Eastern Front due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some lawmakers wish to award additional honors to Sicknick. Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman
Bonnie Watson ColemanFallen Capitol Officer to be honored at Rotunda More than 40 lawmakers sign letter urging Merrick Garland to prioritize abolition of the death penalty Biden scolds Republicans for not wearing masks during the attack on the Capitol MORE (DN.J.) and Beyer introduced a bill last week to posthumously award Sicknick a Congressional Gold Medal.
A bipartisan group of senators also introduced legislation to award another Capitol Police officer, Eugene Goodman, a Congressional Gold Medal for successfully guiding members of the crowd away from an unprotected Senate House door, while legislators and officials still were evacuating.
“Officer Brian Sicknick’s service and sacrifice will never be forgotten. These honors, granted to a few, are well deserved by someone who gave his life in defense of American democracy, ”said Beyer.