Family Of NJ's Brian Sicknick Snubs GOP Leaders At Medal Ceremony

NEW JERSEY - The family of Brian Sicknick, a Capitol Hill police officer from New Jersey who died a day after he responded to the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, refused to shake hands with Republican leaders during a Congressional Gold Medal award ceremony Tuesday honoring officers who defended the Capitol.

Sicknick, who grew up in South River, was among several Capitol Police officers who were assaulted in connection with the riot. After being attacked with bear spray by two rioters, he suffered a blood clot and a stroke and died on Jan. 7. Four rioters died in connection with the takeover attempt, according to a New York Times tally, while four other officers died by suicide in the days and months after the riot.

As seen in footage of the ceremony posted by reporters, Sicknick’s family – including his parents and brother – warmly greeted the likes of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. Yet, when Senate GOP leader McConnell and House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy extended their hands, the family refused to acknowledge the officials.

You can view footage from the ceremony posted by Reuters here.

“They’re just two-faced,” Sicknick’s mother, Gladys Sicknick, later told CNN. “I’m just tired of them standing there and saying how wonderful the Capitol police is and then they turn around and … go down to Mar-a-Lago and kiss his ring and come back and stand here and sit with – it just, it just hurts.”

McCarthy has remained mum about the issue; when pressed by reporters, McConnell said the following:

“I would respond by saying today we gave the gold medal to the heroes of Jan. 6,” McConnell said. “We admire and respect them. They laid their lives on the line and that’s why we gave a gold medal today to the heroes of Jan. 6.”

The ceremony was the result of legislation passed lat year aimed at honoring the fallen U.S. Capitol Police officers who guarded the area during the insurrection. 21 House Republicans ultimately voted no to the bill, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Rep. Warren Davidson of Ohio; the vote was unanimous in the Senate.

“The sacrifice of heroes including Capitol Police Officers Brian Sicknick and Howard Liebengood, Metropolitan Police Department Officer Jeffrey Smith, and those who sustained injuries, and the courage of Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman, exemplify the patriotism and the commitment of Capitol Police officers, and those of other law enforcement agencies, to risk their lives in service of our country,” reads the text of the bill signed into legislation in March 2021.

During the Tuesday ceremony, Gladys Sicknick could be seen in pictures hugging Rep. Liz Cheney, who later spoke out against those who voted against the bill to CNN:

“I don’t see how anybody with any self-respect could vote against honoring the brave men and women who fought and defended the Capitol and the Constitution that day,” she reportedly said, adding that she bashed McCarthy for not condemning former President Donald Trump for dining with White nationalist and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes and musician Kanye West in November.

New Jersey’s Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, who was in attendance, offered words of support to Sicknick’s family in a statement Tuesday:

“January 6, 2021 marked the single greatest attack on American democracy since the Civil War. And just as it did after Lee surrendered at Appomattox, freedom prevailed over oppression,” said Coleman, whose jurisdiction includes South River. “Without the valor and sacrifice of our Capitol Police and other law enforcement officers, we may have seen a very different outcome … My heart goes out to the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice, including New Jersey native Brian Sicknick.”

Two dozen New Jersey residents have been charged for their roles in the riot, which stemmed from false assertions that Trump won the 2020 election. Many of the cases remain ongoing.

Two men, Julian Elie Khater, of Somerset, N.J., and George Pierre Tanios, of Morgantown, West Virginia, were charged last year with conspiring to injure officers and assaulting federal officers in connection with Sicknick’s assault, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office. Both pleaded guilty in 2022.

Khater and Tanios were at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6th and were observed in video footage working together to assault law enforcement officers with an unknown chemical substance by spraying officers directly in the face and eyes, according to the release.

During the investigation, law enforcement discovered video that depicted Khater asking Tanios to “give me that bear s**t,” the release said.

Tanios replied, “Hold on, hold on, not yet, not yet… it’s still early.” Khater then retrieved a canister from Tanios’ backpack and walked through the crowd to within a few steps of the police perimeter, the release said.

The video shows Khater with his right arm up high in the air, appearing to be holding a canister in his right hand and aiming it at the officers’ direction while moving his right arm from side to side, the release said.

The complaint affidavit states that Sicknick, who was standing within a few feet of Khater, reacted to being sprayed in the face. The officers retreated, bringing their hands to their faces and rushing to find water to wash out their eyes, the release said.

Sicknick died the next day at a hospital, said Capitol police at the time. After engaging with protesters, he collapsed later in the day back at his office. He was then taken to a hospital, where he died at 9:30 p.m. the following night, Jan. 7, according to Capitol police.

Sicknick grew up in South River and is an Iraq War veteran. He also graduated from Middlesex County vo-tech schools, which planted a tree in his memory after he was killed.

From an early age, he expressed his desire to serve in law enforcement, said Middlesex County Commissioner Ronald Rios at the time of his death. The East Brunswick school said they will be planting an oak tree on the campus in his honor.

"During his four years, Brian was well-liked by the faculty, who described him as a fine student and a kind young man," said Rios.

Sicknick joined the Capitol Hill Police in July 2008 and most recently served in the department's First Responder's Unit. Before joining the Capitol Police, Sicknick also served with the New Jersey Air National Guard.

He was deployed with the 108th Security Force Squadron, 108th Wing, at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. He was also deployed overseas twice in the Middle East, first in Operation Southern Watch and then in the Iraq War during Operation Enduring Freedom.

–With reporting by Carly Baldwin.