Jun 1, 2021 - Politics & Policy

Brian Sicknick's partner "disgusted" with Republicans blocking Jan. 6 commission

Gladys Sicknick, mother of Brian Sicknick, and Sandra Garza walk down a hallway with several other people

Gladys Sicknick, mother Brian Sicknick, left, and Sandra Garza, center, make their way to the office of Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) on May 27. Photo: Bonnie Jo Mount/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Sandra Garza, longtime partner of the late Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, told CBS News she is "disgusted" with Senate Republicans for blocking a bipartisan commission to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

Why it matters: Although the Justice Department is leading a wide-ranging investigation to prosecute members of the Jan. 6 riot and another congressional probe is underway, these efforts are narrowly focused — missing big-picture questions that a 9/11-style commission could be able to answer, per the New York Times.

What they're saying: "I'm disgusted that the Republican senators, that decided to vote no. It's a spit in the face to Brian, it's a spit in the face to all the officers that were there that day," Garza told CBS News.

  • Garza and Sicknick both affirmed to CBS that they blame former President Trump for what happened.
  • "And I was a person who supported Donald Trump," Garza said. "Brian was a supporter of his. I mean, even on Brian's Twitter page, he had Donald Trump's personal plane in the background, as his background picture."
  • "He knew that Brian was devoted to him, and he did not once reach out to me, to Gladys, he didn't even send a letter of condolences," Garza said, referring to Trump. "He did absolutely nothing. And so, you know, it's very upsetting, you know, that he's not — and I would meet with him, actually. I would. I would meet with him," she said.

What to watch: Sicknick and Garza plan to meet with former House Republican Conference chair Liz Cheney (Wyo.) on Tuesday, after going door-to-door at the Capitol to meet with Senate Republicans to lobby them last week, CBS News reports.

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