The first time the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection gathered for a public hearing, members heard from law enforcement officers who were physically assaulted, verbally abused and traumatized by pro-Donald Trump rioters who stormed the building.
On that day, in late July 2021, lawmakers on the panel thanked four officers — two from the Capitol Police and two from the District of Columbia’s Metropolitan Police Department — for defending American democracy from a violent effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
“You held the line that day. I can’t overstate what was on the line: our democracy,” said Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss. “You held the line.”
