WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has agreed to display a plaque honoring the police who defended the Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack, rebuffing House Speaker Mike Johnson, who has said the commemorative memorial does not comply with the law.
The action happened swiftly, with brief debate, in floor action Thursday. Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina had announced during this week’s fifth anniversary of the Capitol siege that he would seek to ensure the plaque is installed, partnering with Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon, who was also working on the situation, and Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla of California. No senators objected.
“A lot of people said it was a dark day for democracy,” Tillis said about Jan. 6, 2021, describing his memory of hearing the thousands of people — “thugs,” he said — lay siege to the Capitol as Congress was tallying the 2020 election results.
He said that because of the work of the law enforcement officers, it instead became a great day for democracy. “We came back and completed our constitutional duty to certify the election,” he said. “We owe them eternal gratitude and this nation is stronger because of them.”
This week, senators stepped up after learning the plaque, which had been approved by Congress more than three years ago, was nowhere to be found at the Capitol. Instead, many House lawmakers have been hanging up replicas outside their office doors.
The Senate also appeared to be motivated by the shifting narrative from President Donald Trump ‘s White House about what happened Jan. 6, 2021, when his supporters stormed the building after he urged them go to Capitol Hill to confront Congress over Democrat Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory.
Trump himself shifted blame for the attack during a speech this week in which he said he only intended for his supporters to march peacefully to the Capitol. Moreover, the White House produced a glossy new report also shifting blame for the deadly riot — on Democrats, for Biden’s victory over Trump, and on the police for their response to the mob.
“It’s so important we be honest with the American people about what happened,” Merkley said, as he called the resolution up for passage.
“It’s so important we recognize those who defended our democratic republic on that day,” he said, and that “people know we came back, as senators and House members, and finished our work that day, for the peaceful transfer of power.”
Padilla said part of the context is the White House’s new website that he said is an “attempt to rewrite history.” He said that “dishonors” the officers.
“The Senate bipartisan commitment to real history is strong,” he said.
The plaque, according to the law, was intended to be placed at the West front of the Capitol where some of the fiercest fighting took place. It was required to be installed in 2023, a year after the legislation had passed.
The new resolution directs the Architect of the Capitol to “prominently display” the plaque in a “publicly accessible” location in the Senate wing of the Capitol until it can be placed in its permanent location.
To display the plaque in its intended location would require agreement with the House.
The office of Johnson, a Republican who before becoming the House speaker led efforts to object to the 2020 election results, said this week that the plaque, as constructed, does not comply with the law.
Police have sued to have the plaque put on display, as required, but Trump’s Justice Department is trying to dismiss the lawsuit.
Tillis said part of the “technical implementation problem” was a concern that the law specified the plaque would honor all the officers involved, but the plaque only lists the various law enforcement agencies that responded to help the Capitol Police that day.
He said there will be a digital component, presumably a website, that will list all the names. The number of officers runs into the thousands.
“You’ll see how many people came here,” he said.