A dozen Republicans voted against a resolution honoring the Capitol Police for their efforts to protect members of Congress during the Jan. 6 uprising.
The House voted 413-12 Wednesday to award Congressional gold medals, Congress’ “highest display of national appreciation”, to all members of the Capitol Police Department.
Among the Republicans who opposed this honor were Marjorie Taylor Greene from Georgia, Matt Gaetz from Florida and Thomas Massie from Kentucky. She and other opponents said they had problems with the text of the legislation.
Massie told reporters he disagreed with the terms “rebellion” and “temple” in the legislation.
The resolution said, “On January 6, 2021, a mob of insurgents invaded the Capitol building and Congress office buildings and participated in vandalism, looting, and violent attacks on Capitol police officers.”
It also named the three officers who responded to the attack and died shortly after – Capitol police officers Brian Sicknick and Howard Liebengood and Metropolitan Police Department officer Jeffrey Smith – and said seven other people died and more than 140 law enforcement officers were injured.
“The desecration of the Capitol, the temple of our American democracy, and the violence against Congress are horrors that will forever tarnish our nation’s history,” 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 unsupported by known facts.”
Gohmert separately circulated a competing bill in honor of the Capitol Police that did not mention the January 6 attack, according to a copy obtained by PoliticoHis text also mentioned the officers who died after the uprising, but did not specify the circumstances of their deaths, instead writing that they said, “Everything will be successful 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 opponents of the bill, except Massie, voted against the state election votes in the presidential election in the hours following the uprising.