Mother of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick visits GOP senators ahead of Jan. 6 commission vote

The mother of the U.S. Capitol Police Officer who died after fighting off rioters during the Jan. 6 attack met Thursday with Republican senators and urged them to support a bill that would create a bipartisan commission to investigate the riot.

Gladys Sicknick, mother of Officer Brian Sicknick, appeared on Capitol Hill and met with three Republican senators. She was expected to meet at least a dozen senators Thursday, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

When asked if she thought the legislation to establish an investigative panel would pass, Ms. Sicknick said, “I hope so.”

“Brian had a work ethic second to none. He was just there for our country,” she told reporters after a meeting with Sen. Mitt Romney, Utah Republican. “He was just doing his job and got caught up in [it]. It’s very sad.”

“This is why I’m here today,” she said. “Usually I stay in the background. And I just couldn’t stay quiet anymore.

Ms. Sicknick arrived on the Hill with her son’s longtime girlfriend, Sandra Garza; Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone and Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn. They arrived to press Republicans on the legislation, which was expected to receive a floor vote later Thursday.

In addition to Mr. Romney, the group met with Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. All three have expressed support for the bill.

Ms. Garza said she was pleased that Mr. Romney would back the bill.

“We are just so thankful to Senator Romney and his support,” she said. “We just don’t want other people to get harmed or for this to happen again.”

However, the bill, which would create a 10-member bipartisan panel modeled after the commission that studied the causes of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, is receiving little support among Republicans.

Mr. McConnell has urged his party members to oppose the bill, saying it duplicates existing probes into the Capitol attack by the Justice Department and Senate committees. He also complained that the commission will engage in a partisan probe against former President Donald Trump.

Ms. Sicknick and her companions dismissed Mr. McConnell’s complaints.

“Getting to the truth and the bottom of everything shouldn’t be a problem with anybody,” Officer Dunn said.

Sicknick died from a series of strokes one day before the attack, the Office of the D.C. Medical Examiner announced last month.

Chief Medical Examiner Francisco Diaz said the officer’s death was due to natural causes. There was no evidence his death was a homicide or any indication that he suffered internal or external injuries, he said.