The U.S. Capitol Police distanced itself from a Wednesday letter that purported to be from “anonymous” officers within the department who slammed GOP leadership for opposing a potential commission to investigate the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
The letter featured a USCP logo, though it was not an official statement from the department, a spokesperson said. Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Democrat, issued the document and claimed it included words from “unnamed officers (who remain anonymous because they are afraid of retribution for speaking out).”
“A statement is circulating on social media, which expresses an opinion about the proposed legislation to create a commission to investigate January 6,” USCP wrote in a statement. “This is NOT an official USCP statement. The department has no way of confirming it was even authored by USCP personnel. The U.S. Capitol Police does NOT take positions on legislation.”
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The letter from Raskin lambasted opponents of the commission, specifically Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, two outspoken critics of the potential legislation, which will head to a vote later on Wednesday.
“We members of the United States Capitol Police write this letter to express our profound disappointment with the recent comments from both chambers’ minority leaders expressing no need for a January 6th commission,” the officers purportedly wrote. “The brave men and women of the USCP were subjected to hours and hours of physical trauma which has led to months of mental anguish.”
“It is inconceivable that some of the Members we protect would downplay the events of January 6th,” they continued. “Member safety was dependent upon the heroic actions of USCP. It is a privileged assumption for Members to have the point of view that it ‘wasn’t that bad’. That privilege exists because the brave men and women of the USCP protected you, the Members.”
McConnell has referred to the proposal, which was spearheaded by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, as “slanted and unbalanced,” while McCarthy railed against the bill because it did not address prolonged unrest caused by Black Lives Matter demonstrations in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
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“What about all the riots that have let up throughout the summer? The unrest from [Black Lives Matter], antifa, and others?” McCarthy said Tuesday on Fox News. “This is driven solely by politics and Nancy Pelosi, but we should not be a part of that.”
Former President Donald Trump also opposes the formation of the commission. “Republicans in the House and Senate should not approve the Democrat trap of the January 6 Commission,” he said in a statement.
The bill is expected to clear the House, though its fate is unknown as it heads to the evenly divided Senate.
Since the Jan. 6 Capitol siege, in which rioters clashed with officers, more than 400 suspected participants have been charged and arrested throughout the United States.
