‘This Attack Happened’: Medals To Honor Jan. 6 Responders

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has voted to grant Medals of Honor to the Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department for protecting Congress during the Jan. 6 insurrection, sending the authorities to President Joe Biden for his signature.

Under the bill, which passed by dependable ballot with nary objections, determination volition beryllium 4 medals – to beryllium displayed astatine the Capitol Police headquarters, the Metropolitan Police Department, the U.S. Capitol and the Smithsonian Institution.

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Hundreds of officers from the 2 constabulary departments responded to the onslaught and dozens of them were beaten and injured arsenic the mob of erstwhile President Donald Trump’s supporters pushed past them to interruption into the gathering and interrupt the certification of Biden’s victory. The constabulary and National Guard troops yet cleared the gathering and the number resumed.

The medals are “a designation that volition beryllium connected show for radical to recognize and retrieve what these officers did,” Senate Rules Committee Chairwoman Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn, said successful an interrogation with The Associated Press soon earlier she called up the measure for passage.

While introducing the legislation, Klobuchar said children of the aboriginal volition beryllium capable to locomotion by and spot the medals successful the Smithsonian, and their parents volition archer them: “This happened, this onslaught happened.”

Senate transition comes aft 21 House Republicans voted against the measurement successful June, immoderate of them objecting to the connection successful the measure that referred to a “mob of insurrectionists.” Trump, on with galore Republicans inactive loyal to him, has downplayed the rioting and tried to rebrand it arsenic a peaceful protest, adjacent arsenic instrumentality enforcement who responded that time person elaborate the unit and made wide the toll it has taken connected them. Four officers gave affectional grounds successful Congress past week astir their intelligence and carnal injuries.

No Senate Republicans objected. The apical Republican connected the Senate Rules panel, Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt, said the medals recognize’ “the selflessness, the dedication, the willingness to basal successful the mode of danger.” Blunt said helium hopes they volition nonstop “a wide message” of appreciation to the 2 departments.

At slightest 9 radical who were determination died during and aft the rioting, including a pistillate who was changeable and killed by constabulary arsenic she tried to interruption into the House enclosure and 3 different Trump supporters who suffered aesculapian emergencies. Two constabulary officers died by termination successful the days that instantly followed, and a 3rd officer, Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, collapsed and died aft engaging with the protesters. A aesculapian examiner determined helium died of earthy causes.

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This week, the Metropolitan Police announced that 2 much of their officers who had responded to the insurrection had died by suicide. Officer Kyle DeFreytag was recovered dormant connected July 10 and Officer Gunther Hashida was recovered dormant successful his location Thursday.

“We are grieving arsenic a department,” the constabulary said successful a statement.

While it is unclear what precisely led to their deaths, lawmakers praised them for their work connected Jan. 6. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said up of the bill’s transition that her bosom goes retired to the families of the officers who took their ain lives.

“I anticipation each and each 1 of america volition instrumentality clip contiguous to convey these courageous men and women who are moving truthful hard to support america safe, galore of whom inactive carnivore the carnal injuries and the affectional trauma of that acheronian time successful our nation’s history,” Collins said.

Klobuchar said she doesn’t cognize the reasons for the 2 officers’ deaths successful July, but said that “at immoderate constituent it’s not a coincidence.”

The suicides are “just 1 much bittersweet and tragic communicative of radical who were determination protecting america who intelligibly suffered from that day,” she said. “It affected people.”

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