Sen. Chuck Schumer intends to fire the Senate’s sergeant-at-arms upon assuming control as majority leader later this month.
“If Senate Sergeant-at-Arms [Mike] Stenger hasn’t vacated the position by then, I will fire him as soon as Democrats have a majority in the Senate,” he told the Hill.
Schumer’s outrage is in response to Stenger’s handling of the violence that broke out on Capitol Hill Wednesday afternoon. What started as a “Stop the Steal” rally protesting the certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory spiraled into a Capitol Hill brawl that resulted in the deaths of 35-year-old Ashli Babbitt, identified as a combat veteran by local media; 50-year-old Benjamin Phillips of Ringtown, Pennsylvania; 55-year-old Kevin Greeson of Athens, Alabama; and 34-year-old Roseanne Boylan of Kennesaw, Georgia.
Metropolitan Police Department Chief Robert Contee said that 68 people were arrested in connection with the breaching of the Capitol’s perimeter on Wednesday, only one of whom was a resident of Washington, D.C. Contee also reported that 56 officers were injured in the scuffle.
The handling of the violence was met with widespread condemnation that resulted in several high-profile Trump administration departures. Elaine Chao, the secretary of transportation, as well as seven White House officials have resigned in the wake of the outburst.
A representative for Schumer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
