After the Jan. 6 attack, lawmakers agreed to install a permanent plaque to honor the law enforcement personnel who helped protect the U.S. Capitol against right-wing rioters. By statute, the plaque would list the names of the officers who served; it would be placed on the western side of the building; and it would be in place by March 2023.
That was two years ago. As The Washington Post reported, the plaque is done, and it’s ready to be installed, but it’s currently “sitting in a Capitol basement utility room surrounded by tools and maintenance equipment.”
Last week, House and Senate Democrats used the backdrop of National Police Week to highlight their ongoing efforts to have the legislation implemented. They say the only thing keeping the plaque from public view is that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) and Republican members have not yet instructed the Architect of the Capitol to install it.
The Post’s report added that Architect of the Capitol Thomas Austin confirmed during a congressional hearing last month that his office needs approval from the House speaker’s office — that and Johnson still hasn’t given his approval.
As is usually the case when the political discussion turns to the Jan. 6 assault, a variety of Democrats have been quick to draw attention to this, while Republican officials have denied comment.
There’s no great mystery here. GOP officials could follow the law and honor the officers who protected democracy and our country’s principal seat of government, but in Republican politics, the story of what transpired on Jan. 6 has been turned on its head.
The heroes, according to the party’s preferred narrative, were the rioters.
In the only 2024 debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, the Republican was asked whether he had any regrets about the Jan. 6 attack. It was a good question, which he struggled to answer.
“Ashli Babbitt was shot by an out-of-control police officer that should have never, ever shot her,” Trump said, adding, “Nobody on the other side was killed.” This was wrong and offensive for a variety of reasons — Trump’s condemnation of the officer was absurd — but of particular interest was his description of law enforcement as “the other side.” In other words, for the incumbent president, there’s an “us” and a “them.” The rioters who attacked the Capitol in Trump’s name are part of the former, while the police are part of the latter. It’s a perspective rooted in the idea that there are tribal political teams, and as far as Trump’s concerned, the officers who served on Jan. 6 were the opposition. Congressional Republicans know this, which helps to explain why the plaque that should’ve been installed months ago is gathering dust in a closet.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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