Greene votes against medals for Capitol police

Jun. 17—U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Rome, who represents Whitfield and Murray counties, voted against a bill that would award gold medals to police officers who defended the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 from an insurrection of supporters of former President Donald Trump because she disagrees "with the language in the measure," according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

A U.S. Senate report outlined the violence that day.

"Senate investigators collected statements from more than 50 police officers who fought the insurrectionists in brutal hand-to-hand combat," The Associated Press reported. "Those officers described injuries, verbal abuse from Trump's supporters and fear as the police command structure broke down. Some thought they would die."

"The text of the bill mentions the violence and destruction of Jan. 6 and praises all the law enforcement agencies who responded to the security threat," the AJC reported. "It lists the names of three officers who died by natural causes or suicide immediately after the riot after engaging with insurrectionists, plus a fourth Capitol Police officer who was killed in April after a man drove a car into him and another officer patrolling a security barricade."

Greene is among "21 conservative lawmakers" who voted against the legislation, the AJC reported. " ... three Georgia lawmakers (including Greene) ... said other bills that avoid mentioning the insurrection or that focus attention on other acts of violence are preferable."

The legislation now goes to the Senate for approval.

"It authorizes the creation of four gold medals: one to be given to the U.S. Capitol Police, one to Washington's Metropolitan Police Department, one to be displayed by the Smithsonian Institution and another to be housed at the Capitol," the AJC reported. "The text of the bill mentions the violence and destruction of Jan. 6 and praises all the law enforcement agencies who responded to the security threat. It lists the names of three officers who died by natural causes or suicide immediately after the riot after engaging with insurrectionists, plus a fourth Capitol Police officer who was killed in April after a man drove a car into him and another officer patrolling a security barricade."

"Greene ... plugged a separate bill she sponsored that would award Congressional Gold Medals to the police departments in Minneapolis and Portland, Oregon, cities that saw protests focused on systemic racism turn violent at times in 2020," the newspaper reported. "She blamed vandalism, injuries and deaths during those protests on Black Lives Matter activists and antifa groups."

Greene is a cosponsor of a bill "that identifies the person who rammed the vehicle into (the Capitol Police officer) in April as a supporter of Minister Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam," the newspaper reported.

Greene is a cosponsor of another bill "that awards the gold medals by recognizing officers who died in the line of duty over many years and not just after the Capitol riot. This measure also avoids any mention of the riot itself, going so far as to recognize officers who 'passed in January 2021' without a specific date."