Trump Orders U.S. Flags Lowered to Honor Fallen Capitol Officers

By Dana Cruz First Posted: Jan 10, 2021 09:07 PM EST

(Photo : John Moore/Getty Images)
The American flag flies at half-staff at the U.S. Capitol on January 08, 2021 in Washington, DC.

President Donald Trump on Sunday signed a proclamation ordering U.S. flags to be flown at half-staff in honor of the two police officers who died following the riot at the Capitol building.

The two Capitol officers are just some law enforcement members who came in close encounters with Trump supporters during the siege, where at least five people died.

In his proclamation, Trump said that lowering the U.S. flags was a sign of respect for the Capitol officers.

The U.S flag would be flown at half-staff at the White House, all public grounds, and U.S. military facilities and naval vessels worldwide, including international embassies and consular offices, reported Bloomberg.

The Associated Press added that U.S. flags would stay as such until sunset on Wednesday.

Trump's proclamation made no mention of the Capitol riot, but he cited Capitol officers Brian D. Sicknick and Howard Liebengood. Sicknick died from injuries while fending off the angry rioters, and the proclamation came just days after his death.

Trump said that the action was also a sign of respect for "all Capitol Police Officers and law enforcement across this great Nation."

Capitol Flies US Flags at Half-Staff for Capitol Officers

The Capitol has flown its flags at half-staff after Sicknick's death as ordered by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. There were also increasing calls for Trump to do the same for federal facilities.

One of the people who urged him to do so was Republican Representative Nancy Mace, who told Trump on Sunday that Sicknick "laid down his life in protection of our democracy" and deserved the half-staff.

Since Sicknick was a resident of the northern Virginia suburbs, the state's Governor Ralph Northam also ordered state and U.S. flags to be flown half-staff earlier on Sunday.

Governor Phil Murphy of Sicknick's home state New Jersey did the same.Despite the urging from others, the president decided on the proclamation independently, a person familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.

Trump did not issue the order only from pressure from his advisers, said the source. The White House's flag was lowered in the early afternoon.

Biden Speaks with Capitol Officer's Family

An official from the presidential transition said President-elect Joe Biden has spoken with Sicknick's brother on Sunday. Trump has not yet offered them his condolences.

Meanwhile, Lienbengood's death was announced by authorities on Sunday. Two sources, who requested anonymity, told the Associated Press that the officer's death was an apparent suicide.

A report from Crime Online noted that death's time and manner are still unknown and whether his suicide is related to the violent Capitol riot.

Liebengood, 51, was assigned to the Senate Division and has worked with the department for more than 15 years, said a report from WMUR-TV.

His father was an aide to former Senate Minority Leader Howard Baker and served as the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms from 1981 to 1983.