12 Republicans vote against giving Capitol Police congressional medals. Here’s why
A dozen Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives voted against a resolution to award Capitol Police with three Congressional Gold Medals for protecting the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection.
Many of those House Republicans said they opposed the use of the term “insurrectionists” in the resolution. Those who voted against the resolution include: Andy Biggs of Arizona, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Andy Harris of Maryland, Lance Gooden of Texas, Matt Gaetz of Florida, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Louie Gohmert of Texas, Michael Cloud of Texas, Andrew Clyde of Georgia, John Rose of Tennessee, Greg Steube of Florida and Bob Good of Virginia, The Washington Post reported.
Gaetz told The Washington Post that, along with his opposition to calling those at the Jan. 6 riot “insurrectionists,” he didn’t agree with having a display at the Smithsonian about the day’s deadly events.
“We had to combine it with these editorial comments about the January 6 sequence of events, and then we had to logroll it with this exhibit at the Smithsonian, and … that was a little much for me,” Gaetz said, according to the publication.
Harris praised “the brave men and women of the United States Capitol Police” but said they “should never be used as props for politically charged publicity stunts like this bill,” according to a statement obtained by Stars and Stripes.
“I truly commend the Capitol Police for their actions on January 6th, and am very grateful for their service in keeping us safe each day. But I cannot support partisan charged language found in this bill,” Harris said.
The House passed the legislation Wednesday with a vote of 413-12, authorizing one medal to be displayed at the Capitol Police headquarters, another atthe Smithsonian and a third at the city’s Metropolitan Police Department headquarters, Politico reported.
On Jan. 6, former President Donald Trump spoke outside the White House at what he billed as a “Save America Rally,” where he continued to claim that the election was stolen from him and encouraged his supporters to march to Capitol Hill as lawmakers gathered to certify then-President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory.
Following Trump’s speech, supporters marched to the Capitol, tore through barricades and smashed windows.
Five people died, including a Capitol Police officer, and in the weeks that followed dozens of those rioters have been charged with federal crimes. Following the attack, two more police officers at the riot later died by suicide, according to The Washington Post.
Trump was later impeached in the House on a charge of inciting insurrection for his role in the Jan. 6 riot. The Senate later acquitted Trump of the charges, voting 57-43 to convict — short of the two-thirds majority needed for removal.
Some Republicans also said they opposed the language in the bill because it said the Capitol is “the temple of our American Democracy,” according to Politico. Gohmert circulated a competing bill to honor police but didn’t mention the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.
In a statement obtained by The Guardian, Gohmert said the bill passed by the House “does not honor anyone, but rather seeks to drive a narrative that isn’t substantiated by known facts.”
Massie said the legislation “could have implications for somebody’s prosecution later, if we give weight to the word ‘insurrection,’” according to The Hill. “Also calling this a ‘temple’ is a little too sacrilegious for me. This is not a religion here. This is a government. We separate our religion from our government.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, announced plans to introduce the bill in February, saying in a news release that “it was to pay tribute to the Capitol Police and other law enforcement personnel who protected the U.S. Capitol on January 6 with the Congressional Gold Medal: the highest honor that the Congress can bestow.”
“January 6th was a day of horror and heartbreak, but because of these courageous men and women, it was also a moment of extraordinary heroism. That day the United States Capitol Police force put themselves between us and the violence,” Pelosi said on the House floor in support of the legislation.
This story was originally published March 18, 2021 at 12:24 PM with the headline "12 Republicans vote against giving Capitol Police congressional medals. Here’s why."