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Trump lowers White House flag after Capitol police death in riot
Trump has faced calls from lawmakers from both parties to take the step in honor of Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, who died the day after protesters, egged on by the president, invaded the seat of Congress in Washington.
The White House lowered its US flag to half-staff on Sunday, three days after a police officer died from injuries suffered while fending off supporters of President Donald Trump who stormed the Capitol building.
Trump has faced calls from lawmakers from both parties to take the step in honor of Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, who died the day after protesters, egged on by the president, invaded the seat of Congress in Washington. Trump made the decision independently of public pressure, a person familiar with the matter said.
“He made the ultimate sacrifice, for the greater glory, and laid down his life in protection of our democracy,” Representative Nancy Mace, a South Carolina Republican, said in a letter to Trump on Sunday. Noting that the flag over the Capitol dome has been lowered to half-staff, she said “we ask that the flag flown above the White House be ordered to do the same.”
The White House flag was lowered in early afternoon. Flags at the neighboring Eisenhower Executive Office Building hadn’t been lowered as of 4 p.m. Sunday.
Trump hasn’t contacted Sicknick’s family to offer his condolences, the New York Times quoted an unidentified aide to Vice President Mike Pence as saying.
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, a Democrat, earlier on Sunday ordered all US and Virginia flags to be flown at half-staff to honor Sicknick, a resident of suburban Virginia.
