Biden to sign bill awarding medals to Jan. 6 responders

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden volition wage tribute to instrumentality enforcement officers who responded to the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection erstwhile helium signs authorities connected Thursday to grant them Congressional Gold Medals for their service. It’s the highest grant Congress tin bestow.

Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris volition clasp a ceremonial successful the White House Rose Garden to motion the legislation, which was passed unanimously by the Senate earlier this week.

Many officers were beaten and injured that time arsenic the convulsive mob of then-President Donald Trump’s supporters pushed past them to interruption into the gathering and interrupt the certification of Biden’s victory. Some of them, including 4 who testified astatine a House proceeding past week, person spoken astir the lasting intelligence and carnal scars.

The instrumentality volition spot the medals successful 4 locations — Capitol Police headquarters, the Metropolitan Police Department, the U.S. Capitol and the Smithsonian Institution.

Senate Rules Committee Chairwoman Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said the medals are “a designation that volition beryllium connected show for radical to recognize and retrieve what these officers did.” When bringing the measure up for a ballot connected Tuesday, she said that 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.”

The Senate passed the authorities by dependable vote, with nary Republican objections. The House passed the measure successful June, with 21 Republicans who person downplayed the insurrection successful Trump’s defence voting against it.

Trump, on with galore Republicans inactive loyal to him, has tried to rebrand the rioting arsenic a peaceful protest, adjacent arsenic instrumentality enforcement officers who responded that time person elaborate the unit and made wide the toll it has taken connected them. The 4 officers who testified successful the affectional proceeding past week elaborate near-death experiences arsenic the rioters bushed and crushed them connected their mode into the building.

Metropolitan Police Officer Daniel Hodges described foaming astatine the mouth, bleeding and screaming arsenic the rioters tried to gouge retired his oculus and crush him betwixt 2 dense doors. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn said a ample radical of radical shouted the N-word astatine him arsenic helium was trying to support them from breaching the House chamber.

At slightest 9 radical who were astatine the Capitol that time 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.

Last 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. The circumstances that pb to their deaths are unknown.

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

In a ceremonial to nonstop the measure to the president, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday that Jan. 6 was “a moment, a time of bonzer calamity for our country” and praised the Capitol Police for their bravery and patriotism.

“I’m truthful bittersweet that it took a calamity of this quality for the designation to beryllium fixed to them,” Pelosi said.