Transcripts For MSNBC The Rachel Maddow Show 20240711

Time. In july, 1998, a delusional seriously mentally ill man walked through the Metal Detectors at the Capitol Building while he was carrying a loaded smith and wesson resolver. A u. S. Capitol Police Officer stopped the man when he set off the alarm and asked the man to go through again. The man turned without a word and shot officer chestnut in the head and killed him. The man then shot and wounded another Police Officer, officer douglas mcmillan, who then returned fire and hit the attacker. The attacker then shot and mortally wounded a u. S. Capitol police detective, detective john gibson, as he was telling members of congress and their staff to take cover. Detective gibson was killed by the atactor that day, in 1998, but before he died, he nevertheless was able to return fire as well, and that is apparently what took that gunman down sxended that oneman attack on the u. S. Capitol in the summer of 1998. The attacker, although he was shot by officers who returned fire, he survived. A u. S. Senator who was a heart surgeon, senator bill frist, was nearby when the gun fight broke out. He may have actually saved the gunmans life after the shooting stopped and he accompanied him to the hospital where his life was saved. One tourist was caught in the cross fire and was wounded in that attack, as was officer mcmillan, the first officer who shot the attacker, but officer chestnut and Detective Gibson were killed that day. And soon thereafter, they lay in honor at the u. S. Capitol. Youre looking live tonight at the building that was the scene of chaotic violence on friday. Tonight, its a place of grief and lasting tributes. The Capitol Steps serving as an Impromptu Memorial to show their appreciation for the two officers who died in service to their country. And inside, a formal goodbye fit for a head of state. Gwen eiffel has that. Hundreds of Police Officers march into the capitol today in a moving display of national grief. Fathers brought their daughters, strangers wept together. Mourning two men nearly all of them never knew. What makes our democracy strong is not only what congress may enact or a president may achieve. Even more, it is the countless individual citizens who live our ideals out every day. There wasnt any precedent for this. Both houses of congress voted special hoppers for Jacob Chestnut and john gibson, each killed in the line of duty in a Shocking Gun Battle At The Capitol last week. Hundreds of school children, capitol hill employees and lawmakers filed into the soaring rotunda today to pay tribute. The capitols ornate and spectacular rotunda echoed with expressions of grief. Many wore blue ribbons as sign of respect. Blue for The Thin Blue Line often used to describe Police Officers, no member of the Capitol Police force had ever been killed in the line of duty before, and no one here was quite prepared to cope. This loss hit a nerve. It was an assault on the nations most recognizable symbol, its capitol, an assault no one wants to live through again. Gwen ifill, nbc news, the capitol. An assault no one wants to live through again. An assault on the nations most recognizable symbol. That was the last time the u. S. Capitol was attacked and u. S. Capitol Police Officer were killed in defense of the capitol and the line of duty, the summer of 1998. The Ceremony Tonight offering u. S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who was killed in the mob attack on the capitol last month, will look very different than that footage that we saw from gwen ifill and nbc news in 1998. Obviously, now, because of the pandemic, the crowds cant come, to a certain degree, thats a Security Condition now as well, as the Capitol Grounds are just closed. The public cant come through in any numbers, let alone huge numbers. But in some ways, this will be tonight the first chance the country has had to kind of have a moment here, to recognize the loss and the terror of that protrump mob attack last month on the capitol. In the Court Filings for those who have been arrested and charged in the attack thus far, the fbi says more than 100 Police Officers were injured in the attack, at least 15 officers severely injured. So severely injured they had to be hospitalized. Capitol Police Officers union told congress that the number even just in the u. S. Capitol police is more like 140 officers injured, including, they say, officers who are working that day without helmets, who suffered brain injuries, officers with cracked ribs and smashed spinal discs. One officer, according to the union, is going to lose his eye. Another was stabbed with a metal fence stake. And of course, officer Brian Sicknick died. The circumstances of his death have still not be officially described in detail. There have been reports that the rioters hit him in the head with a Fire Extinguisher and that was the cause of his delthd, but no release of any information from the medical examiner. Prosecutors office in washington, d. C. Has opened a federal Murder Investigation into Officer Sicknicks death, but havent briefed the public on any arrests in that murder case or any suspects or even indeed any progress in the case, but officer Brian Sicknick will lie in honor tonight at the capitol rotunda, like the officers before him who were killed by a madman back in 1998. This time, it was a mad mob of hundreds of rioters. Hundreds of them. Who were trying to find and kill the speaker of the house and the Vice President , broke into the office of the speaker and broke into the office of the parliamentarian. They broke into the senate floor, to go through senators desks, search for senators, to try to find the Vice President. They were trying to stop the count of the electoral votes on the floor of the senate, to keep donald trump in office as president. They thought they were the violent part, the physical force part of a coup, a multifaceted coup by the outgoing president that somehow would keep him in power. They thought they would succeed. They thought they were there to keep donald trump president and by their actions that would happen. The head of the Capitol Police, the House Sergeant in arms, the Senate Sergeant in arms all resigned in the immediate wake of the attack. Of course, no politician has. And some things proceed apace. Today in washington, u. S. Senators got their Committee Assignments as republicans have apparently finally consented to let the democrats take control of the u. S. Senate. Democrats are in control of the senate. They won that in this year in the elections. But republicans had been dragging out that handover of power for weeks now. In the house, tonights the vote on issuing fines to members of the house who refused to go through Metal Detectors that are designed to keep guns off the floor of the congress, because thats the kind of thing they have to do now. With the house voting tonight to establish fines of up to 10,000 for individual members of the house refusing to go through Metal Detectors. They voted today in the senate to move ahead toward the covid relief bill under rules that mean it doesnt matter if no republican senators vote for it, democrats can pass it themselves if they have to do so. Pete buttigieg, former democratic president ial candidate, was confirmed today as the secretary of transportation, first openly gay cabinet official confirmed by the cabinet. Alejandro mayorkas, who played a role in the obama administration, he will be president of security. He was confirmed by the senate and sworn in. At the white house today, Executive Action from President Biden to reverse one of the, i think inarguably, one of the most unconscionable things the Trump Presidency did and left in its wake. With the first action today, were going to work to undo the moral and National Shame of the Previous Administration that literally, not figuratively, ripped c arms of their families, their mothers and fathers at the border. And with no plan, none whatsoever, to reunify the children. With that, im going to sign the first order. Which is a reestablishment of an Interagency Task force and the reunification of families. Remove the stain of the reputation of what the separation caused. As promised, a task force on reunification, on finding the kids that the Trump Administration took away from their moms and dads at the southern border, in the text of the executive order, signed by the president tonight, it spells out tat the chair of the task force will be the new secretary of homeland security, mayorkas. The vice chairs of the task force are also cabinet members, Secretary Of State and house secretary. The task force will also include the attorney generals, so this is a high powered thing. Theyll have 120 days to report back to President Biden on their progress, including recommendations for how to insure that the u. S. Government can never, ever do this to kids again. So the work of setting up the new administration is under way, and congress is starting its work. And we know that covid relief is going to come first, and the republicans cant stop it, even if they try, and they will try. The Covid Response at the white house includes announcements today that theyre dramatically increasing shipments of vaccines to local pharmacies in the hopes that that can help boost the number of americans who are able to get Vaccine Shots near to where they live and settings to which most of us have fairly easy access. In the world, the new administration is taking a new and very, very different hard line against Vladimir Putin and russia. Thousands of russians turned out to protest in the streets again tonight. Today, they put the main Opposition Leader in russia, Alexei Navalny, in prison. They tried to kill him with a nerve agent months ago. He fell into a coma. He survived. He came back to russia. They immediately locked him up. After two weeks of protests on his behalf, today, they sentenced Alexei Navalny to years in prison. Thats why there are large protests in moscow and across russia again tonight. Navalny spoke from the dock in court today as he was sentenced. He spoke about Vladimir Putin. He said, quote, hes never participated in any debates or campaigned in an election. Murder is the only way he knows how to fight. He will go down in history as nothing but a poisoner. He said, quote, we all remember alexander the liberator. Alexander ii, and yaroslav the wise. Now, well have vladimir the poisoner. He said, quote, im standing here guarded by the police, and the National Guard is out there with half of moscow cordoned off, all this because that small man in a bunker is losing his mind. He said the main thing in this whole trial isnt what happens to me. Locking me up isnt difficult. What matters most is why this is happening. This is happening to intimidate large numbers of people. Theyre imprisoning one person to frighten millions. Alexei navalny speaking today as he was sentenced to years in prison. Hes the main Opposition Leader and the most serious challenge to Vladimir Putins authority that russia has ever faced. The u. S. State Department Today demanded that russia release Navalny Unconditionally and immediately. After four years of the previous president not only looking the other way but actively excusing the behavior of Vladimir Putin, rationalizing it, justifying it, taking putins word over the word of even u. S. Intelligence agencies about it, its Night And Day in terms of the Biden Administration now. So the work of the country proceeds. Cleaning up from the disastrous previous presidency, getting on with the work of the new one, but through all of this, even on days where lots happened, like today, january 6th looms very large. It looms in the pending Impeachment Trial of President Trump for inciting the attack. There was initial reporting over the weekend that President Trump had lost his Legal Defense team for the Impeachment Trial this weekend, when they refused his demands that they use that senate trial to advance his false claims that the president ial Election Results in our country somehow shouldnt be recognized and he somehow should still be president. Subsequent reporting late last night from axios suggests that in addition to that, President Trump may also have not wanted to pay his lawyers. And that might have contributed to their decision to dump him this weekend. But he got new lawyers on sunday. Well see about whether in the end they get paid, but they did submit a brief today on behalf of the former president. That responds to the charges laid out against him in the article of impeachment. Their brief on his behalf was 14 pages. It included multiple misspellings and typos including literally misspelling the United States in the first line of the thing. But more substantively, the president s defense brief did in fact argue trumps line that joe biden maybe wasnt legitimately elected to be president. The whole brief, for one, never once describes donald trump as the former president. It describes him over and over again as the 45th president , as if he is still the president. They never describe him as the former or previous president. Apparently, he thinks he still is the president. The brief argues that the Election Results that voted trump out and biden in, it argues that those results are, and i quote, suspect. It argues that when President Trump told his supporters on the day of the attack that he had actually won the election in a landslide, well, they argue in their brief today that theres no evidence to say thats false. Who can say, really . That claim that President Trump won the election somehow and that President Biden isnt really the president , hes a pretender and hes stolen it, and trump is the rightful president. I mean, that was the basis for the mob attack on the capitol On January 6th. The former president is still trying to advance that claim. He spelled out today in black and white, typos and all, that thats going to be part of his defense in his Impeachment Trial that starts next week. The Election Results are suspect. Who can say whether or not its actually a false claim that trump won the election in a landslide . Maybe he did win the election in a landslide . Were not saying. I mean so yes, the work of the country and the work of the government continues. Days like today, a lot gets done. But january 6th looms every day because it isnt over. The former president is still trying to undermine democracy. He is still telling his followers, including now through his legal filings and his Impeachment Trial that hes the rightful president. He needs to be avenged. I mean, his followers now are still being arrested for their various roles in the attack on january 60sth, increasingly and interestingly, theyre citing the words of former President Trump as what they took to be their instructions to violently attack the capitol that wednesday morning less than four weeks ago. The person who placed the operational pipe bombs at the republican and Democratic Party headquarters the night before the capitol attack. That person has still not be caught. Theres a 100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and capture of that person. The murderers of u. S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick have also naupt been identified. That murder remains unsolved. But tonight, as a country, well honor him, at least. Officer sicknick was in his 13th year serving as a u. S. Capitol Police Officer when he was killed. Before that, he was in the new jersey air National Guard. Hes from new jersey. One of his senators, new jersey u. S. Senator Cory Booker Eulogized Officer Sicknick on the senate floor. He was steadfast. He was courageous. He stood in the breach to protect the lives of the members of this body, their staffs, personnel. He faced down Terrorist Attackers and sacrificed himself, his own safety, his own security, and ultimately, his life. In the name of love of country. Of country men and women. Officer sicknick is the very definition of a hero, and he deserves to be remembered for the richness of his life, the way that he loved, the devotion that he gave this nation. That he is no longer with us today is a grievous tragedy, and it is also a crime. This great man was murdered. This crime demands the full attention of federal Law Enforcement officials, and anyone who still harbors doubt about what happened here On January 6th should think of him. On january 6th, when extremists, when terrorists, when White Supremacists attacked our nations capitol, they took the life of one of our officers. They spilled his blood. They took a son away from his parents. They took a sibling away from their brothers. They committed this treachery while waving flags claiming solidarity, some of them with Law Enforcement, but it was hate, it was hate, it was hate that brought terror to our capitol. And the death of one of our sons. Joining us now is u. S. Senator cory booker. He represents Officer Sicknicks home state of new jersey. You just saw him there eulogizing Officer Sicknick on the senate floor last month. Senator booker, really nice to have you here tonight. Thanks for taking time. I know its a really somm night. Thank you very much, rachel. So Officer Sicknick will lie in honor tonight at the capitol. Can you talk a little bit about the rarity of that honor, what you think it means in this context . Look, it is something that does not happen. We are the United States of america. This is our capitol. We have rarely seen in the history of our country people die here. We know the british attacked in the war of 1812, but beyond that, we have seen very little violence at our capitol. This is a sacred place. But on a very dark day, a shameful day, when the attack was happening, he was one of those people who rushed to fight and defend the United States of americas most sacred spot, the capitol of our country. And what has been moving to me is to talk to the other officers who knew him. They describe him as a leader and perhaps more honorary, they describe him as a servant, that he was there for other officers. That he was a man of kindness and grace. And the pain with his family, i tell you this, it is a just thing that he is lying in honor, but we can do the family no justice. It is just that tonight and tomorrow, people will pay their respects, but we can give that family no justice. Justice would be their son and their brother alive right now. And so i just hope we as a country hurt right now. We put down our partisan posturing and just hurt. This is a sad and painful moment of remembrance of a person who gave their greatest devotion possible to the country they loved. He served it in the military. He served it as a Police Officer. And he died in this insurrection. And so for those of us who cant truly honor him, let us at least try to rise up and show through our actions some small measure of devotion relative to his, to somehow through this darkness find a way to bring light back to our country. And i just pray, and you were saying so much is going on, and people are moving on. The page, people are trying to turn it. But dear god, for his family, i hope that we make a much better effort at accountability and make a much better effort to show a love for this country and each other like he did. It strikes me, too, just thinking about reading about him today in preparing for tonight, thinking about the rarity of this honor, it strikes me that this is also, i mean, its been less than a month. But it strikes me this is also the first moment as a country, and as the capitol, the community that works in the capitol, the first moment to really mark the severity of what happened On January 6th. Obviously, theres the impeachment proceedings, a lot of legal proceedings, other forms of work on accountability happening, but in terms of noting the loss and the trauma and the violence that happened there, this is kind of the first quiet moment. Yeah, well, what i appreciate about your reporting, rachel, tonight is that you talked about the Capitol Police and what they have endured. I want to include also the washington, d. C. Police. There were a lot of Law Enforcement who showed up and suffered as a result. But im grateful. We have had two suicides now of capitol Police Officers. When i talked to the officers, the morale of many of them felt like they stood against extreme danger, and then faced a lot of public scorn afterwards for decisions that were not made by Rank And File officers but perhaps by their leadership and decisions that were made much higher up. These are folks that love their job and they honor the space in which they work. And so im glad that you talked, we lost Officer Sicknick. We lost two other officers to suicide, but the injuries of some will be lifetime scars and pain and adjustment. And then there is still a force here that is getting up every day, they have been running 14hour shifts without days off here still, trying to protect us at a time that the threats of white supremacist attacks are at an extraordinary high moment. This is a time where theyre still grieving for the loss of their officers. A lot of attention is spent is paid to the 535 of us that make up the senate and house, but this is a place that operates with thousands of people, but for the work of our government would not get done, whether its capitol Police Officers, people who work in the sergeant of arms office or parliamentarians who work in our cafeterias who work maintaining the grandeur of this place, all of them, many of them are still feeling the weight of what happened. Many of them were experiencing fear and the trauma of being present when the attack happened. There is a bigger story here. Theres a lot more pain. Theres a lot more grief, and people are still experiencing trauma. And so i know that there is a lot of stuff that is capturing headlines, but i hope that we dont forget the depth and the texture of all that happened. And i hope it informs us. I really do hope that we dont just move on as a country. I really hope it informs all of us and reminds us of the commitment we have to each other. U. S. Senator cory booker of new jersey, thank you so much for your time tonight, sir. Its a tough night, i know. Thanks for being here. I appreciate you, rachel, always. Thank you. All right. Were going to take one quick break so that we can be back right in time to see the arrival of Officer Sicknicks family at the capitol and the way this is going to lay out tonight. Stay with us. Well be right back with that live. Got my hair got my head got my brains got my ears got my heart got my soul got my mouth i got Life Nicorette knows, Quitting Smoking is hard. You get advice like try hypnosis. Or. Quit cold turkey. Kidding me . instead, start small. With nicorette. Which can lead to something big. Start Stopping With Nicorette vo last year subaru and our retailers donated 50 million meals to feeding america. And yet, one in four children may still face hunger. So, subaru and our retailers are doing it again, donating an additional 100 million meals to help those in need. Love. Its never been needed more than right now. Subaru. More than a car company. vo 2 to join us with a donation, go to subaru. Com. Its moving day. And while her friends are doing the heavy lifting, jess is busy moving her xfinity internet and tv services. It only takes about a minute. Wait, a minute . But what have you been doing for the last two hours . Delegating . Oh, good one. Move your Xfinity Services without breaking a sweat. Now thats simple, easy, awesome. Xfinity makes moving easy. Go online to transfer your services in about a minute. Get started today. U. S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who died in the mob attack on the capitol On January 6th, will lie in honor tonight at the capitol. This is the hearse containing his remains. You see u. S. Capitol Police Officers there. He was in the First Responders unit, and prior to that, the Mountain Bike unit, which is why you see the officers from the Mountain Bike unit there. Those officers will be among those who escort his remains up the east center steps of the capitol into the rotunda. His family will be greeted by the Acting Sergeant in arms for both the house and senate, as this solemn ceremony gets under way tonight. Garrett haake is standing by as this is happening. Hes right there near the east of the capitol. Can you describe what you see and what you expect . Its a bitterly cold night, and over the last 45 minutes, i have seen dozens and dozens of capitol Police Officers start to arrive. Theyre closing some of the entrances so officers on duty can be part of the Ceremony Tonight to memorialize their fallen comrade here. Just a few moments ago, we saw the motorcade itself arrive. And what were going to see here is the remains of Officer Sicknick being brought up the east front steps, and when hes taken in that door, that east front door, he will be taken past shattered glass that is still in that door frame that was left that way in part intentionally as kind of a reminder, a physical reminder of the attack on the capitol. Tonight is focused almost entirely on his family and his Capitol Police family. Theyll be greeted by lawmakers at the top of the steps. But this is not about lawmakers and not even about the broader Capitol Hill Community you were talking about with senator booker. This is a night tonight for memory and for catharsis for the capitol Police Officers who are at the absolute horrible center of what happens here On January 6th. Garrett, just to underscore that, we understand tonight that the Capitol Police including the units he served in, will escort his remains into the rotunda along with his family, and the viewing tonight is for the police. The lawmakers wont be doing that until the morning, right . Thats exactly right. Tonights event is meant to be for that family, the family in uniform. You mentioned in the opening that Officer Sicknick was also a former National Guardsman. Law Enforcement Community that protects the capitol is vast. Mpd, Secret Service involved on the 6th as well. Thats largely for them. Tomorrow, theyll have a separate opportunity for Everyone Else who works on the capitol and is part of this community to have their own remembrance, their own memorial for Officer Sicknick. Tonight, this is about his Brothers And Sisters in the Capitol Police and his family. Garrett, thanks. I know its cold out there right now. I dont want to ask you to stand by in a place thats going to freeze you, but stand by. Well be back as we watch this solemn ceremony. Thank you, my friend. As we watch these capitol Police Officers stand at attention, again, you see the hurst there carrying the remains of Officer Sicknick, and garrett just reported that the motorcade carrying his family has also arivered, were expecting over the next few minutes that well see the Acting Sergeants at arms, youll recall, of course, the sergeant at arms in the house and senate resigned in the wake of the capitol attack, so theyre acting officers in both of those positions. Well see them escort the remains and theyll go right into the rotunda, right into the capitol, where his remains will lie in honor tonight. As were watching this ceremony get under way, i also want to bring into the conversation now, theorts jones, he goes by butch jones. He spent more than 35 years as capitol Police Officer who retired in 2009. Mr. Jones, thank you so much for being with us and helping us understand some of what were looking at tonight. I appreciate your time, sir. Thank you for having me. Can i just ask you, im just trying to discern what were looking at here. It looks like capitol Police Officers and the members of Officer Sicknicks family together here. How does this strike you . How does this feel to you, watching this as a former capitol Police Officer . My heart really goes out for the family. This brings back memories of 1998, when officer chestnut and officer gibson were also in the rotunda. This is a very sad day for all Police Officers, especially Capitol Police. Capitol Police Officers and d. C. Metropolitan Police Officers were both involved in the effort to protect the capitol On January 6th. Its been hard for those of us on the outside reporting on this and watching this to really understand the, i think, the trauma, and also the camaraderie among those Police Officers and within those Police Forces at a time like this. Its a policing job thats unlike any other in the country. And for me, it feels fitting that tonight is set aside essentially for Officer Sicknicks colleagues. Rather than having congress there tonight. Lawmakers will pay their respects afterwards. Does that seem right to you . Yes. I think its very appropriate that the officers get a chance to have their moment with their fellow officer. And only because of the grace of god it could have been much more that had passed On January 6th. So i think it is appropriate for the Capitol Police allowed the officers to spend time with their fellow officer, fallen officer. What were watching here is his remains being carried up the east front steps of the capitol. Lets just watch this for a second. Again, what were watching here is the arrival in the u. S. Capitol rotunda of the remains of u. S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick who was killed in the mob attack on the capitol On January 6th. You see a lot of u. S. Capitol Police Officers there, including representatives of his units he served in during his nearly 13 years on the force. His remains will stay in the rotunda tonight with essentially Capitol Police escort. Lawmakers can pay their respects in the morning, starting at 7 00 a. M. But we did see, i believe, and ill stand corrected if this isnt right, but i believe we saw House Speaker nancy pelosi and the democratic leader of the senate, majority leader Chuck Schumer at the top of the stairs there as Officer Sicknick was brought into the rotunda. Lets just watch this a moment more. Were expecting to see Officer Sicknicks family, his mother and father, his longtime girlfriend, his brothers, his sisterinlaw and aunt and uncle, cousin, were expecting to see them as well. We know they have arrived on site. In a motorcade with Officer Sicknicks remains. Again, lying in honor under the u. S. Capitol rotunda is a very, very rare honor. This is the fifth time in u. S. History that somebody has been afforded this particular honor of lying in honor under the rotunda. Two previous u. S. Capitol Police Officers killed in the line of duty are among those who preceded him. You see here congressional leadership entering the rotunda. Lost the internal image there for a moment, but this is also a live shot at the u. S. Capitol right now. What were watching is the ceremonial arrival of officer Brian Sicknick, his remains at the capitol rotunda. We saw congressional leadership there from both parties, as part of the receipt, essentially, of him for the start of this solemn ceremony. This will go all night. It will be overnight in the rotunda. Essentially attended by capitol Police Officers. And then we will allow they will allow members of congress to pay their respects in the morning, starting very early in the morning, starting at 7 00 a. M. There will be a Departure Ceremony Add which i believe there will be remarks from congressional leaders later on into the morning. Then, he will his remains will be brought from the u. S. Capitol to Arlington National cemetery where he will be interred. Joining us now is congressman tim ryan of ohio. Congressman ryans, one of his responsibilities in congress is he heads up the subcommittee that funds and oversees the u. S. Capitol police. Hes worked closely with them in that capacity, and in the days after the aattack, he was Briefing Reporters on the condition of the cop toll officers. Thanks for being with us. I know this is a really solemn night. Yeah, thanks for doing this, rachel. I think its really important that the American People get an opportunity to really see the end results to real human beings, real families after january 6th. So i appreciate you doing this. Congressman, it has felt like you had more insight than most of us in terms of the Capitol Police and how they have coped as an organization, and just as individuals following the attack and what they went through On January 6th. Can you give us any insight into the immediate aftermath of the attack, the injuries that officers sustained, and how they have been coping in the less than four weeks since this all happened . Well, you had the trauma of the lead pipes smacked up against officers heads. Beating, getting sprayed with pepper spray, all of that that we saw on all of the videos. But i think the context really, rachel, is that for days and weeks before that, these officers were working 12hour shifts. Then they went through what happened On January 6th, completely traumatizing event for so many. With so many mistakes made, not by the Rank And File, but by the leadership. And then continuing 12hour shifts. And then you have a police force thats been hit severely with covid, which means you have less personnel, so you continue to work these longer shifts. And so the anxiety, the stress, the trauma, the exhaustion is there. And its real, which is why we wanted the National Guard to continue to stick around really to provide some relief for them. And its on a scale like most things. On a spectrum like most things. You know, some of the guys you talk to, theyre like, i dont need to talk to anybody. I dont need any counseling. I need a couple good nights sleep, and i need to go home and i need to hug my kids. You know, because your kids watched you go through this On January 6th. And then youre up at 5 00 or 6 00 to go to work. You work until 6 00 or 7 00 or 8 00 at night. You barely get to see them before they go to bed. So the things that help you heal, connection, sleep, you know, those kind of things, theyre not getting. And now, you know, were seeing a stretch a force thats really stretched. And thats what they and their families have been dealing with for the last few weeks and its been tough for a lot of them. Congressman, do you know anything about the status of the investigation of the murder of Officer Sicknick . I mean, one of the things that looms specifically over this incredibly solemn and moving ceremony that were seeing tonight is that there is a federal Murder Investigation that has been opened into his death. We havent heard anything from the medical examiner. We havent heard anything from prosecutors. We dont know of anybody being arrested. We dont know of suspects or leads in this murder. Do you have any information on that or anything we should understand about how that investigation proceeds . Well, i will tell you its very intense, and there are hundreds of members of congress who are very, very interested in making sure that we get the justice for Officer Sicknick, and that investigation is ongoing. I think its important that we dont comment on the blow by blow of the investigation, but there is an extremely motivated group of people that want to bring people, one, two, more to justice for what they have done to a Rank And File Police Officer. And so theres a lot of intensity behind it. And a lot of videos, as you know and have reported on, as well. A couple hundred thousand plus to the fbi. Almost 2,000 cameras on capitol hill, so you can imagine the Different Levels of video and footage that need to be gone through. And thats happening. And we can assure everybody that if its possible to bring somebody to justice, its going to happen. Congressman tim ryan of ohio, he heads the subcommittee in the house that oversees and funds the Capitol Police. Works very closely with them in that capacity. Sir, thanks very much for your time tonight as we cover this ongoing ceremony. Really appreciate it. Thanks, rachel. Appreciate you. Again, the Ceremony Tonight that we just witnessed, the Arrival Ceremony of officer Brian Sicknicks remains, will be followed in the overnight hours by him lying in honor under the u. S. Capitol rotunda, attended by his fellow u. S. Capitol Police Officers. Well see members of congress pay their respects tomorrow, and there will be a solemn departure ceremony midmorning, and then he will go to Arlington National cemetery. Hi is such a rare thing. And its even more unique than just rare because of the circumstances of the coronavirus pandemic and the fact that the public isnt there, the public isnt part of this, is effectively a closed ceremony. Joining us now is nbc news president ial historian michael beschloss. Rachel, this is something we have never seen before, and god willing, we will never, ever see again. This was a president of the United States inciting an insurrection. A Terrorist Attack on congress. It could have led to interruption of the certification of a president ial election. Conceivably, this could have taken away our democracy, and this is one reason why i think we have to observe the 6th Of January every single year as a time that we had a very close call to remind us that we have to be now we dont know if he is coming to the capitol. It would seem to be fitting if thats whats going on here. To have had this happen On January 6th, ahead of the inauguration on january 20th and now to have all of the scrum of the new government and the new administration getting its legs under it and the accountability issues, the multiple prosecutions, the arrests, the ongoing impeachment of second impeachment of president donald trump. It feels like we havent had a moment to mark this trauma that youre describing and that you say we should be marking every year and it also in terms of having us as a country remember and take stock and appreciate the gravity of what happened. You are so right. We have gone through four years of motional and psychological abuse of the United States, which culminated on the 6th Of January, which even then it did no end. We have to mark that and take it very seriously. I understand why they made an effort to clean up the house and Senate Chambers and continue the election, but one downfall is it almost normalized this. This is something 50 years from now americans will look back on as a day we almost lost our democracy. President ial historian michael beschloss, thank you for that. And thank you for being here tonight. We are covering what is an ongoing ceremony for the officer killed in the capitol. The pool field shut off a few moments ago, it was part of the way they planned to cover this and the president ial motorcade has left the white house. I cannot tell you whether or not that means that President Biden is coming to the rotunda tonight to pay his respects but were watching that very closely. So we will take a very quick break right now and be back in just a moment. D be back in just a moment. Obsession has many names. This is ours. The new lexus is. All in on the sports sedan. Lease the 2021 is 300 for 359 a month for thirty nine months. Experience amazing at your lexus dealer. [tv announcer] come on down to our Appliance Superstore where weve got the best deals on refrigerators, microwaves, gas ranges and grills. And if youre looking for. Crankypated a bad mood related to a sluggish gut. Wher miralax is different. Eals on refrigerators, microwaves, it works naturally with the water in your body to unblock your gut. Free your gut, and your mood will follow. Nicorette knows, Quitting Smoking is freaking hard. You get advice like try hypnosis. Or. Quit cold turkey. Kidding me . instead, start small. With nicorette. Which can lead to something big. Start Stopping With Nicorette wanna build a Gaming Business that the camera has back on inside the capitol rotunda. You see a lot of capitol Police Officers, easily identifiable because theyre in dress uniform. The people theyre escorting here are the members of the officers family, who are paying their respects here tonight. On the right side of your screen, the reason we put up this split screen image, is we believe that is the president ial motorcade arriving at the u. S. Capitol. So this is not something that was announced in advance but this is this would appear to be President Biden leaving the white house and coming to the capitol to pay his respects as well. Again, we havent had advanced word on this from the white house, so we will just watch and see what happens here. You see nancy pelosi and Chuck Schumer paying their respects there. Theyre not speaking. And you see the leadership of both parties behind them. This was a u. N. Police officer killed in line of duty while protecting members of congress. Well hear remarks from some of the leadership tomorrow, but tonight this will just happen in silence. The leadership of the u. S. Capitol police now, also paying their respects. Its 10 p. M. Eastern time. And our coverage continues now. The Arrival Ceremony for u. S. Capitol Police Officer who lies in honor tonight at the u. S. Capitol rotunda, Lawrence Odonnell takes over our coverage. Thank you, rachel. Brian sicknicks family is there at the capitol rotunda