Twenty-one Republicans in the House of Representatives voted against awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to the police officers who repelled the attempted coup d’état on Jan. 6, when a pro-Trump mob violently attacked the Capitol complex.
The measure passed with overwhelming bipartisan support from 406 lawmakers, but the opposing votes drew immediate criticism from accord the political spectrum.
The four medals awarded under the bill would be displayed at the Capitol Police headquarters, at the D.C. Metropolitan Police headquarters, at the Smithsonian Institution, and in a “prominent location” in the Capitol.
“How you can vote no to this is beyond me,” said Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.)
“Then again, denying an insurrection is as well,” Kinzinger, a vocal critic of former president Donald Trump, said in a tweet. “To the brave Capitol (and DC metro PD) thank you. To the 21: they will continue to defend your right to vote no anyway.”
“Today, 21 House Republicans voted against awarding Congressional Gold Medals for the bravery displayed by Capitol Police officers during the January 6, 2021 coup d’état attempt,” said New Jersey progressive Lisa McCormick.
The medal displayed in the Capitol would be accompanied by a plaque listing all of the law enforcement agencies that helped protect the building on Jan. 6 from the mob of former President Trump’s supporters who were trying to stop Congress from certifying President Biden’s election victory.
The resolution names three police officers — Brian Sicknick and Howard Liebengood of the Capitol Police and Jeffrey Smith of the Metropolitan Police — who died in the days after they were on duty at the Capitol on Jan. 6.
It also highlights the heroism of Eugene Goodman, who was serving as a Capitol Police officer on Jan. 6 and has since been promoted to acting deputy Senate sergeant-at-arms. Goodman was shown on a video captured by a reporter luring the mob away from the Senate chamber in a move that helped former Vice President Mike Pence and senators escape to safety.
The measure states that their actions “exemplify the patriotism and the commitment of Capitol Police officers, and those of other law enforcement agencies, to risk their lives in service of our country.”
“Jan. 6 was unquestionably one of the darkest days in the history of our democracy. But because of the courage of the Capitol Police and other law enforcement officers, it will also be etched in history as a day of heroism,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the lead sponsor of the bill, said on the House floor before its passage.
The House previously passed a version of the bill in March to award Congressional Gold Medals to the law enforcement agencies that helped defend the Capitol, but only 12 Republicans voted against the legislation at that time.
The Republicans who voted against the bill were Reps. Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Lauren Boebert (Colo.), Michael Cloud (Texas), Andrew Clyde (Ga.), Warren Davidson (Ohio), Matt Gaetz (Fla.), Louie Gohmert (Texas), Bob Good (Va.), Paul Gosar (Ariz.), Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), Andy Harris (Md.), Jody Hice (Ga.), Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), Mary Miller (Ill.), Barry Moore (Ala.), Ralph Norman (S.C.), Scott Perry (Pa.), John Rose (Tenn.), Matt Rosendale (Mont.), Chip Roy (Texas) and Greg Steube (Fla.).
Most voters reject that far-fetched idea, but many believe America’s democracy is under threat as New York Times journalist Maggie Haberman reported that former President Donald Trump told a number of people that he expects to be reinstated by August.
Recent polls indicate that three in 10 Republicans (29%) believe that Trump not only won the election that he in fact decisively lost last year but will soon be reinstated as president, according to a new Politico/Morning Consult poll.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office appears to have entered the final stages of a criminal tax investigation into Trump’s chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, setting up the possibility he or the former president could face charges this summer.
In recent weeks, a grand jury has been hearing evidence about Weisselberg, who is facing intense scrutiny from prosecutors as they seek his cooperation with a broader investigation into Trump and the Trump Organization, the people with knowledge of the matter said.
Even as the investigation has heated up, it remains unclear whether the prosecutors will seek an indictment of Weisselberg, which would mark the first criminal charges stemming from the long-running financial fraud investigation into Trump and his family company.
The investigation into Weisselberg focuses partly on whether he failed to pay taxes on valuable benefits that Trump provided him and his family over the years, including apartments and leased cars as well as tens of thousands of dollars in private school tuition for at least one of his grandchildren.
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