President Joe Biden paid his respects to the assassinated Capitol police officer Brian Sicknick, whose body was given the rare distinction of lying in honor at the Capitol Rotunda on Tuesday night.
Sicknick’s cremated remains arrived on the Eastern Front of the Capitol and were placed in the Rotunda overnight to allow his colleagues and lawmakers to honor the officer.
Biden and first lady Jill Biden held their hands in their hearts and the president made the sign of the cross as they stood near Sicknick’s urn and a folded American flag.
“This flag was flown over the U.S. capital by The Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, in honor of the distinguished life and service of Officer Brian D. Sicknick. January 7, 2021,” reads a plaque on the frame holder the flag.
Members of Congress will attend the viewing on Wednesday morning and pay tribute to Sicknick, with remarks from Nancy Pelosi, D-California, and Senate Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y.
“On behalf of the House of Representatives and the Senate, it is our great privilege to pay tribute to Officer Sicknick on this occasion,” Pelosi and Schumer said in an earlier statement. “May this ceremony and the knowledge with which so many mourn with them and pray for the family of Officer Sicknick be a consolation during this sad time.”
Sicknick, 42, died after defending the Capitol on January 6 against a mob that stormed the building and tried to conquer the election period after Donald Trump, then president, urged supporters at a rally to fighting like hell, shortly before lawmakers and former vice president Mike Pence met for a joint congressional hearing.
Trump will face his second Senate indictment next week on charges of inciting the riot that left five people dead.
Sicknick, who served in the New Jersey Air National Guard before joining Capitol police in 2008, was injured “while physically talking to protesters” and returned to his branch office, where he collapsed. the Capitol police said in a statement. He was taken to a hospital, where he died on Jan. 7 at about 9:30 p.m.
Only four other private citizens in history paid tribute: in 1998, two other Capitol police officers – Jacob Joseph Chestnut and John Michael Gibson – after being killed in the line of duty, the civil rights icon Rosa Parks in 2005 and Rev. Billy Graham in 2018.
Sicknick’s cremated remains will then be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery.
“The family of the U.S. Capitol Police Officer, Brian D. Sicknick, thank the Congressional leadership for awarding this historic honor to our fallen American hero,” reads a previous statement from Sicknick’s family by a police spokesman. the Capitol was issued. “We also want to express our appreciation. to the millions of people who offered their support and sympathy during this difficult time. Knowing that our people share our personal tragedy and loss brings hope for healing. ”
Frank Thorp V. contributed.