U.S. Congress to honor officers who fought Capitol attackers

[August 04, 2021]  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Congress on Tuesday agreed to award Congressional Gold Medals to police officers who fought rioters at the Capitol on Jan. 6, the day after authorities disclosed that two more of those officers had died by suicide.

The honor would go to members of the Capitol Police and Washington, D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department who fought with a mob of hundreds of Donald Trump supporters attempting to overturn his election defeat.

"Awarding the Congressional Gold Medal is a way to commemorate their sacrifice and make sure that the truth of Jan. 6 is recognized and remembered forever," Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said on the chamber's floor.

President Joe Biden commemorated the two officers  whose suicides were disclosed, saying in a Twitter post: "They were American heroes."

Hundreds of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol Jan. 6, following a fiery speech in which he repeated his false claims of election fraud.

U.S. Capitol police attend a morning briefing outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., August 3, 2021. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

Four people died on the day of the violence. A Capitol Police officer attacked by protesters died the following day. The two police suicides announced on Monday raised to four the number of officers who later took their own lives.

More than 100 officers were injured.

(Reporting by Makini Brice; Editing by Scott Malone and Howard Goller)

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