Fourteen people who “contributed in an exemplary way” to American democracy in the wake of the January 6, 2021 attack were honored Friday with the Presidential Citizens’ Medal, one of the country’s highest civilian honors. Sandra Garza, Brian’s partner Sticknick, one of the honored police officers who died after the assault, filed a complaint against Donald Trump on Thursday night.
President Joe Biden commemorated the second anniversary of the attack on the United States Capitol on Friday, January 6, by awarding the “Presidential Citizens Medal” to 14 people, some of them posthumously. The recognition was because they faced a crowd of supporters of former President Donald Trump that January 6, 2021.
“It was all fueled by lies about the 2020 election, but on this day two years ago our democracy stood because we the people…did not chicken out,” Biden said.
The Democratic president also stated that “America is a land of law, not chaos,” despite the fact that Congress remains divided for the fourth day in a row, with Republicans striving to unblock the election of the next speaker of the House of Representatives. and convince 20 of his own supporters to support candidate Kevin McCarthy.
Earlier, Nancy Pelosi, Hakeem Jeffries and other representatives, both Democrats and Republicans, observed 140 seconds of silence on the steps of the Capitol to mark the second anniversary of the violent insurrection. Every second was in honor of the 140 Capitol Police officers who were seriously injured during the attack. Their relatives pronounced their names and a chime accompanied each one of them.
The 2021 attack also killed at least nine people, including Ashli Babbitt, a woman who was shot and killed by police as she tried to enter the Chamber; and three other Trump supporters.
On Friday, Babbitt’s mother, Micki Witthoeft, stood in front of the Capitol with a drawn portrait of her daughter. Capitol Police later arrested her for refusing to leave the street. Her mother was released hours later, but now she must appear in court on charges of traffic violation.
In addition to these nine deaths, after the attack on the Capitol it was reported that four uniformed officers who responded to the insurrection committed suicide: Howard Liebengood of the Capitol Police, and Jeffrey Smith, Kyle DeFreytag and Gunther Hashida of the Metropolitan Police. Additionally, Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick died of a stroke the day after confronting protesters.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi assured that the “psychological, physical and emotional” wounds of many in the country and in Congress remain “open.”
“History will remember them for their bravery and courage”
The Presidential Citizens’ Medal is the second-highest honor a US president can bestow on a civilian, after only the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal. It is the first time that Biden has delivered this type of commemoration in his term.
During the White House ceremony, Biden described the honorees as “heroes.” “It is not an exaggeration to say that the United States is in debt to you (…) it was democracy that was at stake,” the president stressed.
“History will remember their names,” said the President of the United States before presenting the medals to members of the police forces, some of whose faces have become almost familiar to Americans from the haunting images of the invasion of the Capitol, or by their vivid testimonies before a parliamentary investigation of the facts.
The president also honored the elected officials or those responsible for the voting process in various states, who resisted pressure and threats to force them to change the election results, won by Joe Biden.
One of the recipients was Ruby Freeman, a poll worker from the disputed state of Georgia who Trump falsely accused of voter fraud.
Following the accusations, Trump supporters threatened her with death and in 2022, Freeman had to leave her home. Last Wednesday, Trump again attacked the poll worker and dedicated three posts by her on her social media platform accusing her of contradicting herself in her testimony and of her electoral crimes.
New lawsuit against Donald Trump
The current president praised the “elegance and dignity” of the families of the three posthumously decorated policemen: Liebengood, Smith and Brian Sicknick.
Brian Sicknick’s partner, Sandra Garza, filed a civil lawsuit Thursday against two men who pleaded guilty to the assault. But she has also sued Donald Trump, accused of making “explicit calls for violence” that put police officers “in mortal danger.” He requests 10 million dollars from each of the defendants.
The former Republican president has not reacted to this new accusation, but since the events of two years ago he has always denied any wrongdoing, just as he has always minimized the facts of the takeover. The House committee investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol has pointed to Trump as the “central cause” of the attack.
In fact, that group of legislators asked the Justice Department to prosecute the former Republican president on four counts, including insurrection and obstruction of official proceedings.
Two years after the events, more than 950 people have been identified and arrested. Another 192 have been sentenced to prison terms. US police are still looking for 350 participants, as well as a person suspected of planting pipe bombs near the Congress building the day before the attack.
In addition, in a few days the second trial for seditious conspiracy will begin, this time against members of the extreme right-wing nationalist group Proud Boys, who were among those who led the attack on the Capitol.
With Reuters, AP, AFP and EFE
