Biden grants Presidential Citizens Medals 2 years after Jan. 6 Capitol attack
President Biden on Friday awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal to law enforcement and state and local officials who defended the U.S. Capitol and upheld the integrity of the 2020 election. This is the first time Mr. Biden has offered the Presidential Citizens Medal, and it comes two years after the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol.
In a White House ceremony Friday, President Biden gave the award to 12 people, including former Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers, Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn, former Metropolitan Police Department officer Michael Fanone, and Capitol Police officer Eugene Goodman. The late Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick also received the award posthumously.
Mr. Biden delivered remarks as the country marks two years since pro-Trump rioters stormed the Capitol and law enforcement defended it so lawmakers, their staffs, and the vice president would be safe.
These are the people Mr. Biden honored Friday:
- Jocelyn Benson, the former Michigan secretary of state who faced armed protesters outside her home as she was pressured by those seeking to overturn the 2020 election results.
- Rusty Bowers, the former Arizona House speaker who resisted pressure from people hoping to overturn the election.
- Harry Dunn, a Capitol Police officer who faced harassment from rioters. He has served on the force for nearly 15 years.
- Caroline Edwards, a law enforcement officer who suffered a brain injury as a result of rioters' actions on Jan. 6, 2021.
- Michael Fanone, a now-retired Metropolitan Police Department officer who was injured in the attack.
- Ruby Freeman, who worked as an election worker in Fulton County, Georgia, and faced threats for doing her job.
- Aquilino Gonell, a Capitol Police sergeant who was injured defending the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
- Eugene Goodman, a Capitol Police officer who diverted rioters from the Senate floor so members could evacuate.
- Daniel Hodges, a Metropolitan Police Department Officer injured during the attack. Jan. 6, 2021 was his first time ever in the Capitol.
- Shaye Moss, an election worker in Fulton County, Georgia, during the 2020 election. Ruby Freeman is her mother.
- Al Schmidt, a former federal civil servant who served as a city commissioner on the Philadelphia County Board of Elections. During the 2020 election, he kept the vote tally going in the face of pressure and efforts to overturn the election.
- Brian Sicknick, a Capitol police officer who defended the Capitol. He died the next day.
- Howard C. Liebengood, U.S. Capitol Police (posthumous)
- Jeffrey L. Smith, D.C. Metropolitan Police (posthumous)
— Nikole Killion contributed to this report