Capitol Riot Probe Blocked Despite Fallen NJ Cop Family's Pleas

SOUTH RIVER, NJ — Despite the efforts of South River natives Gladys Sicknick and Sandra Garza — the mother and sister, respectively, of slain Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick — Republican senators on Friday blocked the formation of a commission to investigate the Jan. 6 attempted insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

NJ.com reports Sicknick’s relatives met face to face with several Republicans to plead for their support of an investigation into the incident. However, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell ultimately spoke out against the panel.

“If they look at the footage that happened, it’s very obvious that that was not a peaceful day,” Garza told the publication after a Thursday meeting. “Police officers were getting attacked, they were getting beaten, fire extinguishers were being thrown at them, they were being attacked by flag poles.”

In a statement, Gladys Sicknick told Politico in part that voting against a commission to investigate the incident is "a slap in the faces of all the officers who did their jobs that day,”

“I suggest that all Congressmen and Senators who are against this Bill visit my son’s grave in Arlington National Cemetery and, while there, think about what their hurtful decisions will do to those officers who will be there for them going forward," she added.

The Washington Post reports the House passed legislation to form the commission last week but that the Senate fell six Republican votes short of breaking a filibuster to pass the proposal.

Ultimately, the commission legislation failed to garner support from Republicans other than Sens. Bill Cassidy, Lisa Murkowski, Rob Portman, Mitt Romney, Ben Sasse and Susan Collins, according to The Post.

Related: Cop From NJ Died Of Strokes After Capitol Hill Riots: Reports

Brian Sicknick was among 140 Capitol Police officers who were assaulted during the insurrection attempt.

Several hours after battling rioters on the Capitol grounds, Sicknick, of South River, died from several strokes, according to the Medical Examiner Francisco J. Diaz.

In addition to having an allergic reaction to chemicals, Sicknick ultimately died of acute brainstem and "cerebellar infarcts" due to basilar artery thrombosis.

Two men — Julian Elie Khater, 32, of State College, Pennsylvania, and George Pierre Tanios, 39, of Morgantown, West Virginia — were arrested and charged with conspiring to injure officers and assaulting federal officers in connection with the assault against Sicknick.

Video footage taken from the incident shows Khater spraying bear mace on Sicknick and other officers in the area, according to a complaint affidavit.

Sicknick collapsed at his office late in the day Jan. 6. He was pronounced dead the following night after being hospitalized.

"He texted me last night and said, 'I got pepper-sprayed twice,' and he was in good shape," said his brother, Ken Sicknick, according to a statement the family put out and reported by ProPublica. "Apparently he collapsed in the Capitol and they resuscitated him using CPR."