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Senate sergeant-at-arms forced out after deadly Capitol siege

08 January 2021
Dan Ackermann

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Thursday he has "requested and received" the resignation of Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Michael Stenger.

Driving the news: Capitol Hill law enforcement and security have come under heavy criticism over their response to Wednesday's siege on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Trump.

  • Authorities were overwhelmed by rioters who stormed the Capitol building and made their way into the Senate chamber, as well as some lawmakers' offices. At least four people have died following the siege, according to officials.
  • Earlier Thursday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called for firing Stenger when Democrats take the majority in the upper chamber — if Stenger had not already resigned.

The big picture: House Sergeant at Arms Paul Irving has given his resignation notice, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Thursday.

What's next: Deputy Sergeant-at-Arms Jennifer Hemingway will serve as acting sergeant-at-arms, McConnell said in a statement.

  • "I thank Jennifer in advance for her service as we begin to examine the serious failures that transpired yesterday and continue and strengthen our preparations for a safe and successful inauguration on January 20th," McConnell said.

Multiple lawmakers have also vowed to investigate law enforcement's response to Wednesday's violent U.S. Capitol breach.

Go deeper:Biden, activists decry "double standard" in police response to mob at U.S. Capitol

Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times

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Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.

Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.

The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.

  • The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.

What the transcripts say:

  • Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
  • The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
  • Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."

Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.