Chaos erupted in the House chamber as the two people injured by the mob on Jan. 6 were introduced, with Democrats saying some Republicans booed and yelled abuse, and several Republicans walked out of the chamber in protest.
“When it was announced that they were being sent from the Capitol as police officers on January 6th, we heard some booing as about eight to 10 Republican members walked out angrily,” state Assemblyman Arvind Venkat (D) said in a phone interview Thursday. “We were shocked and appalled,” he added. Venkat said the disturbance lasted about five minutes. Fewer than 100 lawmakers, split evenly between Republicans and Democrats, were in the chamber before the chaos unfolded, he said.
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives has 203 members: 102 Democrats and 101 Republicans.
The lackluster response from police in key battleground states underscores how polarizing the legacy of the Jan. 6 riot has become between both parties, to the point that some lawmakers consider it politically controversial to support the officers who protected the Capitol from the mob.
Mr. Dunn and Mr. Gonnell are politically vocal. Dunn is touring Pennsylvania this week, including in Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, to campaign for President Biden’s reelection. Dunn ran unsuccessfully for the Maryland House of Representatives earlier this year as the Democratic candidate.
Republican leaders who responded to requests for comment from The Washington Post did not comment directly on the strikes but stressed their support for law enforcement and accused Democrats of politicizing the incident.
“I was on the House floor yesterday and spoke privately with two former police officers at the Speaker’s podium, and I and other members of my caucus also took photos with them,” House Republican Leader Brian Cutler said in an emailed statement, calling Democrats “they are pitting their members against one another for political and campaign purposes, and are sowing division and discord.”
“While I did not see what anyone did on the Capitol floor yesterday, I believe the actions of House Democrats were orchestrated with political goals,” House Republican Caucus Chairman George Dunbar said, greeting the two officers, adding that he had “deep respect” for Capitol Police and “all law enforcement.”
“While some Republicans certainly clapped and stood up, the vast majority did not,” Rep. Mike Schlossberg, a Democrat who was also in the room, said in an email Wednesday. “It’s embarrassing and disgraceful,” added Schlossberg, who chairs the House Caucus. At one point, the booing and jeers got so loud that “the speaker had to raise his voice to speak above the noise,” Schlossberg said.
In a statement shared with The Washington Post, House Speaker Rep. McClintock (D-Calif.) called the act “despicable.”
“These brave former police officers were met with scorn from many Republican members who walked out of the House chamber, turned their backs and booed the officers. The disgraceful behavior of Republican members is unbecoming of our institution to any guest, let alone two men charged with protecting our democracy on such a dark day in our nation’s history.”
Schlossberg said the reaction from Republican lawmakers was somewhat cynical.
“These brave men were injured trying to protect elected officials in Government Buildings, and my fellow elected officials who work in Government Buildings had the audacity to be disrespectful to men who were protecting people like them,” he said.
Dunn was pepper-sprayed and injured in a scuffle while defending the US Capitol on January 6. He has since launched a political action committee to support anti-Trump candidates. “This is democracy versus tyranny,” he said at a campaign event in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, according to the Pennsylvania Capital Star.
Gonnell was punched during the storming of the Capitol and suffered injuries to both hands when he tried to stop an assailant wielding a PVC pipe at another officer who was not wearing a helmet. After Tuesday’s walkout, the Iraq War veteran accused Pennsylvania House Republicans of “abandoning the truth” and “siding with those who attack us.”
