A Democratic congressman has stated that Donald Trump instructed Republican lawmakers to “erase” the January 6th Capitol riot from historical accounts. This assertion comes as efforts to install a memorial plaque honoring Capitol police officers, legally mandated over two years ago, continue to be stalled.
Following the riot on January 6, 2021, where more than 140 officers sustained injuries and five died in the aftermath, Congress passed a law requiring a commemorative plaque to be installed by March 2023. This plaque was intended to honor the bravery of the officers involved.
The plaque’s creation was funded through an omnibus spending bill that received bipartisan support. It was designed to be placed on the Western Front of the Capitol, which was the scene of some of the most intense violence during the insurrection.
However, the plaque has not been installed and is currently located in a utility room in the Capitol’s basement. Democratic Representative Hakeem Jeffries claims that House Republicans, under the leadership of Speaker Mike Johnson, have deliberately prevented its placement.
“This is where there’s a clear difference between Democrats and Republicans,” the House Minority Leader remarked. “House Democrats have made it clear, we are going to respect and honor those law enforcement officials and police officers who defended this Capitol on January 6th.”
Jeffries further stated, “The reason why the law hasn’t been complied with and a plaque hasn’t been erected is because Republicans, directed by their puppet master Donald Trump, have been told, try to erase January 6th, as if it has never happened.”
Lawmakers used National Police Week to renew their calls for the plaque’s installation, demanding that House leadership comply with the existing law, according to the Washington Post. Capitol Police unions have not issued a statement, but retiring Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger criticized the Trump administration’s recent $5 million settlement with the family of Ashli Babbitt, calling it a “chilling message” to law enforcement personnel.
As the plaque remains in storage and public support for its installation grows, Democrats have indicated they will continue to exert pressure on Republican leadership.
“We know the plaque was made, we know it is here in the Capitol and I have yet to see one good reason why the speaker hasn’t put it up yet,” Senator Patty Murray (D-Washington) said during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing last week.