‘A Grateful Congress’ Installs Highly Controversial Plaque Honoring Jan. 6 Capitol Defenders
“On behalf of a grateful Congress, this plaque honors the extraordinary individuals who bravely protected and defended this symbol of democracy on January 6, 2021.”
Outgoing Republican Sen. Thom Tillis (NC) wants to inflict as much damage on the Trump administration as possible during his last year in office. Thanks to his efforts, a deeply controversial new plaque now hangs in the Capitol Building.
NBC News reported that in January, Tillis and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) introduced a resolution instructing the Architect of the Capitol to install a plaque honoring the U.S. Capitol Police and other law enforcement agencies who defended the Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021.
Incredibly, the resolution passed the Republican-controlled Senate by unanimous consent.
The plaque, which was installed at 4 a.m. Saturday morning, reads, “On behalf of a grateful Congress, this plaque honors the extraordinary individuals who bravely protected and defended this symbol of democracy on January 6, 2021. Their heroism will never be forgotten.” A list of all police departments and law enforcement agencies that took part in the government’s response follows.
According to NBC:
Since the start of the second Trump administration, the president and his allies have sought to downplay the severity of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack by his supporters, which happened at the tail end of the president’s first administration as he sought to overturn the 2020 election results.
Shortly after he was sworn in last year, Trump pardoned roughly 1,500 criminal defendants who were charged for their actions at the Capitol that day.
The Washington Post reported that in March 2022, both the Democrat-controlled House and Senate passed a law requiring the plaque to be installed by March 2023. Due to the controversy that followed, the deadline came and went and the plaque remained in storage — until now.
Here is the Post’s version of the story:
The police officers were taunted and beaten. Some were knocked unconscious and dragged down stone steps, tear gas stinging their throats, to chants of “U.S.A! U.S.A!” on Jan. 6, 2021, as hundreds, then thousands, swarmed the citadel of American democracy.
Now, more than five years later, and three years since Congress ignored its own deadline to install it, a memorial plaque recognizing the service of law enforcement that day is finally on display in the very building they defended from a mob of President Donald Trump’s supporters intent on overturning his 2020 election loss.
Conservative activist and founder of the group WalkAway Brandon Straka pointed out the irony of the situation in a weekend post on X: “Senate Republicans will not pass the SAVE Act, however DID vote in unison to have this plaque hung in the halls of Congress today. It honors Capitol police officers who killed supporters of Donald Trump and lied on witness stands to have them imprisoned and civilly sued.”
Senate Republicans will not pass the SAVE Act, however DID vote in unison to have this plaque hung in the halls of Congress today.
It honors Capitol police officers who killed supporters of Donald Trump and lied on witness stands to have them imprisoned and civilly sued. pic.twitter.com/SAB426nozI
— Brandon Straka #WalkAway (@BrandonStraka) March 8, 2026
The new plaque is already sparking debate. Conservatives, myself included, see it as a clear attempt by the Democratic Party to rewrite history.
What makes it even more galling is that it passed a GOP-led Senate.
They continue to re-write history.
The Swamp is in charge. pic.twitter.com/iXVHlnykQa
— Ms. Jazz (@Linda82982011) March 8, 2026
Yes, it really is Orwellian.
Virginia Democrats just passed a bill that will require public schools in the state to teach students that Jan. 6, 2021 was an insurrection. Mike reported on this story.
At any rate, the plaque may be small, but the message behind it is not. It represents the latest step in Washington’s effort to lock in a single, politically convenient version of Jan. 6. That it happened with the consent of a Republican-controlled Senate makes the episode even more infuriating. For all the talk about draining the swamp, moments like this are a reminder that the swamp still knows exactly how to take care of itself.
Never Forget pic.twitter.com/NryuWTW6fQ
— Don McC Conservative Warrior and Grandfather to 6 (@MccDon44307) March 8, 2026
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on X or LinkedIn.
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Comments
The FBI is mentioned I guess for egging on the protesters;
The capital police is mentioned for their part in opening up capital doors and inviting in the protesters and of course for shooting and unarmed white women dead and white washing the killing bythe black lieutenant (since promoted to Captain) who somehow remembered to bring his gun that day instead of leaving it unattended in the bathroom. You go DEI!
s/capital/Capitol
Not if someone bought them off. ;-{)}}}
For some people, government buildings are places of worship – of the government. That’s most Democrats, but apparently Republicans are willing to join in.
The uniparty:
Democrats – Corrupt, dishonest, immoral, ambitious dedicated traitors to Our Republic, and stupid.
Republicans – Lazy, apathetic traitors to Our Republic, and stupid.
what a disgusting footnote to a leftist/democrat/swamp contrived and media spun event–what an insult to the family and memory of the woman murdered by capitol police–to those wrongfully arrested and held until convicted by dubious testimony and evidence and had their lives destroyed
hopefully there is a special place in hell for those who perpetrated such a fraud and offense to our countrymen
Amen!
History is written by the winners.
They haven’t “won”. This abomination needs to be removed.
What are you willing to bet that it comes down? Ever?
Coming up next, a statue to commemorate the brave officer who risked life and limb to kill an unarmed protester who was also a veteran, mother of two children, and probably right that the election was stolen anyway.
The plaque at the base:
“I’d do it again.” – Michael Byrd
Reading the room
Not so much
I would say that Congress has damaged its credibility by this, but it hasn’t any credibility to damage.
No one is going to be punished for murdering Roseanne Boyland and Ashlii Babbitt. Just a plaque for killing them.
No policeman was killed
But not surprising. The GOP has long been a leftwing grift masquerading as an opposition political party.
As a coda to the entire sleazy affair watch Tillis endorse the Communist candidate this November.
Not surprised. These are the same turds who won’t pass the SAFE Act.
the winners get to (re)write history
lefty is the winner …again
they murdered ashli babbit and the gop sows couldnt have cared less
think of alllll the time lefty bemoans the falsity of
another unarmed blmplo shot by the leo..and 9/10 found to be false as blmplo soldier was armed or beating on the cop(s) etc
but ashli babbit???
The Republican Party isn’t a Conservative Party; never was a Conservative Party; and never will be a Conservative Party.
That at least explains half of why they do, what they do…
The other half is that they’re spineless weasels.
That pretty much sums up the Republican Party.
As I wrote before… another one praising the bravery of the Islamic pilots on 9-11. Tacked only the WTC. Might as well since the Statue of Liberty defaced with that “peom”.
Did the plaque also give a kudo to the police that shot and killed Ashely Babbitt?
A plaque for Ashli Babbitt should be placed right next to it. Or next to the door of Congress. Make THEM remember.
Thillis really is a contemptible, vile, feckless and vindictive RINO piece of excrement. The GOP can’t be rid of this pompous and greasy clown too soon.
I think you’re being kind. Not being from NC, how did this turd ever get elected?
My sense, from what I can glean, is that Thillis evinced sufficient general fealty towards conservatism/conservative principles, to initially get elected. However, after #45/#47 was elected and re-elected, this reprobate’s utterly vindictive, irrational, narcissistic and embittered TDS manifested itself, and he began doing everything possible to subvert and sabotage the President’s agenda, and to vilify POTUS, himself.
No mention of security that opened doors and waved them inside, or 274 plainclothes FBI agents in crowd? Has the appearance of entrapment?
“Who controls the present controls the past, and who controls the past controls the future.”
The State just told you who controls the present–no matter how it might look.
The State must be destroyed. The Party must be eliminated. This is not a suggestion. It is an imperative or we will all be made into duckspeaking proles endlessly praising the filth we are allowed to exist in while The Party lives in a simulacrum of the rich life –at least until total collapse occurs.
There is only one ideology even attempting to keep this from happening.
I really hope people read this and do the research. THERE IS NO :PLAQUE! Never was one, and this is pure misinformation to make the GOP look bad as they are trying to pass the save act. For starters, look at the source, The Washington Post, which has not written an article with an ounce of truth concerning the GOP much less any Trump administration EVER. So yeah, start with that. There is no plaque, and never was one. Really surprised that this site lowered itself to the level of promoting propaganda. Freaking shameful.
Did you read the article?
.
The police who didn’t lock the doors and gave way to some mild pushing and shoving?
The defenders of Paris in WW2.
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