President Trump has ordered all flags to be flown at half-staff in the wake of the Capitol Hill riots on Wednesday that left five dead.
“As a sign of respect for the service and sacrifice of United States Capitol Police Officers Brian D. Sicknick and Howard Liebengood, and all Capitol Police Officers and law enforcement across this great Nation, by the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds … until sunset, January 13, 2021,” Trump said in an official White House proclamation entitled “Honoring United States Capitol Police Officers.”
Sicknick, a 12-year veteran of the Capitol Police, died after responding to the Jan. 6 siege. It remains unclear at this time whether Liebengood’s death is connected to Wednesday’s violence.
The White House directive comes as Trump has been roundly criticized for his handling of the Jan. 6 violence that broke out in the halls of Congress, with several lawmakers calling for the president’s removal from office.
In the aftermath of Congress’s vote to certify the election results declaring President-elect Joe Biden the victor in the 2020 presidential contest, Trump called for national unity.
“2020 has been a challenging time for our people,” he said in prerecorded remarks released Thursday evening. “This moment calls for healing.”
