A dozen Republicans voted against a resolution honoring U.S. Capitol police for their efforts to protect members of Congress during the January 6 uprising.
The House voted 413-12 on Wednesday to award congressional gold medals, the ‘highest expression of national appreciation, “to Capitol police members.
The Republicans who opposed this honor included Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Matt Gaetz of Florida and Thomas Massie of Kentucky. They and other opposing members said they had problems with the text of the legislation.
Massie told reporters he does not agree with the terms ‘rebellion’ and ‘temple’ in the legislation.
The resolution reads: ” On January 6, 2021, a crowd of insurgents forced themselves into the US Capitol building and office buildings of Congress and vandalized, looted and violently attacked the Capitol police officers. ‘
It also mentioned the three officers who responded to the attack and died shortly afterwards – police officers Brian Sicknick and Howard Liebengood of the Capitol and Jeffrey Smith, police officer of the Metropolitan Government, and said that seven other people were killed and more if 140 police officers were injured.
“The desecration of the American Capitol, which is the temple of our American democracy, and the violence directed at Congress are horrors that will stain the history of our country forever,” the bill said.
Louie Gohmert, a Texas congressman, said in a statement that the text “does not honor anyone, but rather wants to drive a story that is not substantiated by known facts.”
Gohmert separately circulated a rival bill in honor of the Capitol police who did not name the January 6 attack, according to a copy obtained by Politico. His text also mentions the officers who died after the uprising, but not the circumstances of their death, and writes instead, “All passed in January 2021.”
The other Republicans who voted against the legislation were Andy Biggs of Arizona, Andy Harris of Maryland, Lance Gooden of Texas, Michael Cloud of Texas, Andrew Clyde of Georgia, Greg Steube of Florida, Bob Good of Virginia and John Rose of Tennessee .
All the opponents of the bill, except for Massie, objected to the state’s election votes in the presidential election in the hours after the uprising.