Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) has drawn criticism on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, and from commentators for a post claiming police officers were "injured and killed" during the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot. X itself added a "Community Note" correcting the Senator's statement, pointing out that no officers died during the event.
Klobuchar's post, commemorating the fourth anniversary of the event, stated, "Four years ago, the electoral vote certification was interrupted by a violent mob. Police officers were injured and killed. Our democracy hung in the balance. I knew we had to do our duty and complete the count – and in the early hours of January 7th, we did." The attached Community Note clarifies, "No officers were killed. The medical examiner found Sicknick died of natural causes which means ‘a disease alone causes death. If death is hastened by an injury, the manner of death is not considered natural.’ Four other officers committed suicide days to months later."
Numerous prominent conservatives and commentators responded to Klobuchar's post, including Dana Loesch, Bonchie, Mollie Hemingway, Chris Barron, Brianna Lyman, and Ben Kew, all emphasizing that no officers were killed during the riot. Several questioned why such claims continue to be made years after the event and the official findings regarding Officer Brian Sicknick's death. Officer Sicknick suffered two strokes and died of natural causes the day after confronting rioters, according to the District of Columbia's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
While the Capitol Police acknowledged the medical examiner's findings, they maintain that Officer Sicknick died in the line of duty. It's worth noting that approximately 140 officers were injured during the January 6th riot, according to law enforcement testimony from 2021. Fox News reached out to Senator Klobuchar's office for comment, but did not receive a response.
This incident underscores the ongoing debate and misinformation surrounding the January 6th Capitol riot.
