Mitch McConnell snubbed by fallen officer's family at Jan. 6 medal ceremony

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell got snubbed by law enforcement and the family of a fallen officer Tuesday as the U.S. Capitol and Washington D.C. Metropolitan police departments received Congressional Gold Medals for their service when they responded to the violent insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021.

Officers and family members of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who died the day after he responded to the attack, greeted Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer but bypassed McConnell and his fellow Republican, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, per news reports and a C-SPAN video.

McConnell put his hand out at Tuesday's ceremony but didn't receive a handshake. Later in the ceremony, he gave a brief speech and told law enforcement: "Thank you for having our backs. Thank you for saving our country."

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After the insurrection, McConnell and McCarthy voted in ways that helped former President Donald Trump, whose lies that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him are blamed for the violent attempt to overturn President Joe Biden's victory. McCarthy, like most House Republicans, voted against impeaching Trump on a charge of inciting the insurrection, and McConnell, like most Senate Republicans, voted to acquit Trump in the ensuing impeachment trial.

Both Republican leaders also opposed a bipartisan plan for a Jan. 6 commission to investigate the insurrection, with McConnell calling it "House Democrats' slanted and unbalanced proposal."

Unlike McCarthy, McConnell did unequivocally insist Trump bears responsibility for the Capitol attack, saying in February 2021 the ex-president is "practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day." That same month, however, he said he would "absolutely" support Trump if the GOP nominates him for president in 2024.

Gladys Sicknick, Brian Sicknick's mother, told CNN she didn't shake hands Tuesday with McCarthy and McConnell because they're "just two-faced," while Brian Sicknick's brother, Ken, told CBS News both Republican officials "have no idea what integrity is."

Ken Sicknick said he's a longtime Republican and praised Wyoming GOP Rep. Liz Cheney, who voted to impeach Trump over Jan. 6 and helped lead the House committee that ultimately investigated the attack. She lost her 2022 reelection bid.

When a reporter asked McConnell about the snub at Tuesday's medal ceremony, the Kentuckian said: "I would respond by saying: Today we gave the Gold Medal to the heroes of Jan. 6. We admire and respect them. They laid their lives on the line..."

McConnell criticizes Trump's suggestion to terminate U.S. Constitution

McConnell also publicly criticized Trump on Tuesday, this time for the 2024 presidential candidate's recent suggestion that the U.S. Constitution could be terminated so he can quickly return to the White House, despite Biden's legitimate election as commander-in-chief.

"First, let me just say that anyone seeking the presidency who thinks that the Constitution should somehow be suspended or not followed, it seems to me would have a very hard time being sworn in as president of the United States," McConnell said at a D.C. press conference.

The president must take an oath to preserve and defend the Constitution.

McConnell was again asked Tuesday and at a press conference last week if he would support Trump if he's selected as the GOP's 2024 nominee, but did not directly answer the question either time.

Reach reporter Morgan Watkins at mwatkins@courierjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter: @morganwatkins26.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Mitch McConnell snubbed by Sicknick family at Jan. 6 ceremony