Congressional leaders pay tribute as Capitol Police officer lies in honor

Congressional leaders on Wednesday offered a final tribute to Brian Sicknick, the Capitol Police officer fatally injured while defending the Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection, as he received the rare distinction of lying in honor in the Rotunda.

The honor granted to Sicknick underscored the tragedy and trauma left behind four weeks to the day since a violent mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol and tried to stop lawmakers from certifying President Biden’s election victory.

The hallowed Capitol Rotunda was strewn with garbage and debris left behind by the rioters on Jan. 6. But starting late Tuesday night with an overnight viewing period for Sicknick’s colleagues, it served as a place for members of the Capitol Hill community to gather in solemn remembrance.

Sicknick, 42, died a day after the Capitol attack from injuries he suffered while trying to fend off members of the mob.

Dozens of members of Congress, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D), the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, members of the Metropolitan Police Department and Capitol Police officers gathered in the Rotunda for a final send-off before Sicknick, an Air National Guard veteran, is interred at Arlington National Cemetery.

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) hailed Sicknick, who served in the Capitol Police force for 12 years, as a “peacekeeper, not only in duty but in spirit.”

“He was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time on a day when peace was shattered,” Schumer said during the memorial service.

“Our promise to Brian’s family is that we will never forget his sacrifice,” said Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), addressing the family members in attendance. “With your permission, may we be worthy to carry Brian in our hearts. We will never forget. Each day when members enter the Capitol, this temple of democracy, we will remember his sacrifice and then others that day who fought so hard to protect the Capitol and the Congress.”

The president and first lady Jill Biden made a surprise visit to the Capitol late Tuesday night to pay their respects, as Vice President Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, did Wednesday morning.

Scores of Capitol Police officers — including members of the mountain bike unit in which Sicknick served — also lined the Capitol’s east front plaza as a ceremonial guard carried the wooden urn holding his remains and a framed American flag down the center steps.

A band played “Amazing Grace” as Sicknick’s remains were brought down the steps.

Sicknick is the fifth private citizen — and third Capitol Police officer — to receive the distinction of lying in honor in the Capitol Rotunda.

Capitol Police officer Jacob Chestnut and detective John Gibson laid in honor in 1998 after they died in the line of duty during a Capitol shooting. Civil rights activist Rosa Parks later laid in honor in 2005, followed by the evangelist Billy Graham in 2018.

Wendy Wenling Chestnut, widow of Jacob Chestnut, was in attendance at Wednesday’s ceremony.

Sicknick is one of five people who died as a direct result of the insurrection by Trump supporters who attacked the Capitol in belief of the former president’s false claims of election fraud. One of the members of the mob was shot by a Capitol Police officer while trying to breach the House chamber while lawmakers, staff and journalists were still evacuating. Three other people died of medical emergencies.

Another Capitol Police officer, Howard Liebengood, and a Metropolitan Police officer, Jeffrey Smith, both died by suicide days after responding to the attack.

At least 140 officers between the Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police forces were injured, some with severe injuries such as one officer who is expected to lose an eye.

Acting Capitol Police chief Yogananda Pittman acknowledged during testimony before the House Appropriations Committee last week that many officers are still suffering from the trauma. She also formally apologized on behalf of the department’s leadership for the failure to prepare for the attack.