Partner of Brian Sicknick: GOP ‘denied the monstrous acts’ on Jan. 6

The longtime girlfriend of late Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick called out Republican members of Congress for downplaying the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

In an op-ed for CNN published Wednesday, Sandra Garza lashed out at the GOP for repeatedly spreading false claims about what happened in the months since the deadly riot.

“As the months passed, my deep sadness turned to outright rage as I watched Republican members of Congress lie on TV and in remarks to reporters and constituents about what happened that day,” Garza wrote. “Over and over they denied the monstrous acts committed by violent protesters.”

Hundreds have been criminally charged as a result of the insurrection, which led to five deaths. But Republicans have sought to look past the events of Jan. 6, with some publicly downplaying the severity of that day.

Garza has been publicly critical of the GOP since the Senate voted down a proposal last month to create a bipartisan commission to investigate the events of Jan. 6.

She and Sicknick’s mother, Gladys Sicknick, lobbied senators to vote in favor of the commission’s creation.

In the op-ed, Garza said some senators were “very pleasant and polite. Others were dismissive, and others could barely hide their disdain.”

“Since those meetings, only a handful of Republican senators showed that they possessed the moral compass to do the right thing by voting yes, putting Americans first, and showing warmth and compassion for the officers (as well as their families) who protect them daily,” Garza wrote.

Garza called out Republicans for downplaying the  “viciousness and trauma” of Jan. 6. She said they are engaging in “secondary wounding,” which occurs when someone minimizes the impact of an event on the victim.

“Make no mistake: All of the officers and people who were physically harmed, terrified, psychologically destabilized or lost loved ones due to that day are literally being re-traumatized every time someone speaks untrue words to describe what happened on January 6,” she wrote.