Republican Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler said she is donating her last paycheck as a member of the Senate to a fund for U.S. Capitol Police officers.
Loeffler, who was defeated by Raphael Warnock during the Jan. 5 runoff election, plans to gift the money to the Capitol Police Memorial Fund for putting the “safety and security of others before their own,” she told Fox News. The outgoing senator praised the department for their actions during the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, when thousands of Trump supporters clashed with law enforcement, resulting in the death of five people, including one Capitol Police officer.
“The tragic loss of these officers reminds all of us of the bravery of the law enforcement officers who protect our nation’s Capitol, my colleagues, congressional staff, visitors, the press corps, and thousands of staff every day,” Loeffler said. “I’m proud to donate my final Senate pay in honor of their lives and sacrifices.”
Officers Brian Sicknick and Howard Liebengood died following the unrest earlier this month. Sicknick, who was struck by a fire extinguisher during the chaos, succumbed to his injuries over a week later, and Liebengood committed suicide after the riot.
Roughly 58 officers were injured during the siege, and agitators used bats, a flagpole, and a wrench, among other implements, to attack law enforcement, according to the Washington Post.
Both Loeffler and David Perdue were unseated by their Democratic opponents in the highly-contested Senate runoffs in Georgia. Loeffler lost to Warnock by a 2-point margin, while Perdue fell to Jon Ossoff by a 1-point margin, according to the New York Times runoff map. Certification of the results is set for Jan. 22.
