Former Senate sergeant-at-arms, who served during Capitol insurrection, dies

Former Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Michael Stenger, who served during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection, died on Monday, Politico reported. 

No cause of death has been reported. Stenger served as sergeant-at-arms, responsible for ensuring security around the Capitol and enforcing the Senate’s rules, for three years. 

He resigned on Jan. 7, 2021, after receiving intense criticism for the inability of the Capitol’s security to keep the rioters outside the building. The Senate sergeant-at-arms serves on the Capitol Police Board, which governs the U.S. Capitol Police, along with the House sergeant-at-arms and the architect of the Capitol. 

Stenger received criticism from both Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). House Sergeant-at-Arms Paul Irving and Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund also resigned following the insurrection. 

Politico reported that Stenger served in the Marine Corps and worked in the Secret Service for 35 years before joining the Senate’s Office of the Sergeant at Arms in 2011. 

Stenger testified to members of the Senate in the month following the insurrection that a review of the Capitol Police was needed in the aftermath of the attack. Sund said in testimony at the same hearing that Stenger and Irvin rejected his requests for assistance from the National Guard two days before the insurrection. 

The Hill has reached out to Capitol Police for comment. A spokesperson for the House sergeant at arms, who is currently serving as the chair of the police board, deferred comment to the Senate sergeant at arms office, which did not immediately return a request for comment.

News of Stenger’s death comes as the House committee investigating what led to the attack is holding a series of public hearings to share some of its findings. After planning a break in the public hearings until next month, the committee announced a last-minute hearing scheduled for Tuesday to “present recently obtained evidence.”

— Updated at 1:42 p.m.