Capitol Police Officer Dies, Who is to Blame?

Who is to blame for the death of Brian D. Sicknick

A U.S. Capitol Police officer has died following injuries suffered in the violent siege on the building Wednesday, according to a press release from the department. Who is to blame?

The officer, Brian D. Sicknick, died at 9:30 p.m. Thursday, police said.

The death is the fifth connected to the riots, which saw swarms of pro-Donald Trump insurrectionists overwhelm police barricades, swarmed the Capitol and forced lawmakers to go into hiding. All the while they were swearing and yelling.

Who is to blame for the death and destruction? President Trump? He greeted rioters at the White House before encouraging them to March to the U.S. Capitol. He told them he loved them and that they were special. He even said he would join them. He did not. He retreated to the safety of the White House. Is he to blame?

Sicknick responded to the violent riots and “was injured while physically engaging with protesters,” USCP said in a statement. “He returned to his division office and collapsed. He was taken to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.”

Sicknick, 42, had been with the department for 12 years, most recently working as part of the first responder unit.

The U.S. attorney’s office in D.C. has opened a federal murder investigation into Sicknick’s death, three law enforcement sources confirmed to ABC News. The investigation is being conducted jointly between the FBI and the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, with cooperation from U.S. Capitol Police.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has ordered the flags at the Capitol to be flown at half-staff in Sicknick’s honor.

“On behalf of the House of Representatives, I send our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Officer Brian Sicknick, who died after defending the Capitol complex and protecting those who serve and work here,” Pelosi said in a statement Friday.

“The perpetrators of Officer Sicknick’s death must be brought to justice,” Pelosi said. “The violent and deadly act of insurrection targeting the Capitol, our temple of American Democracy, and its workers was a profound tragedy and stain on our nation’s history. But because of the heroism of our first responders and the determination of the Congress, we were not, and we will never be, diverted from our duty to the Constitution and the American people.”

Four others died in the Capitol siege. Three people died of medical emergencies, while a 35-year-old woman, Ashli Babbitt, was shot and killed by Capitol Police while trying to enter a broken window into the House Chamber.

Law enforcement said more than 50 Capitol Police and Metropolitan police officers suffered injuries in the rioting, and “several USCP officers have been hospitalized with serious injuries.”

Former Attorney General William Barr accused President Donald Trump on Thursday of a “betrayal of his office” — the latest rebuke of the president by a former high-ranking administration official after pro-Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol.

“Orchestrating a mob to pressure Congress is inexcusable,” Barr said in a statement obtained by POLITICO. “The President’s conduct yesterday was a betrayal of his office and supporters.”

Who is to blame? Who has blood on his hands?