Lawmakers, Biden honoring officers who defended Capitol on Jan. 6
President Joe Biden on Friday will honor police officers who defended the U.S. Capitol, and others who protected democracy, as Washington marks the second anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack.
Biden will award the Presidential Citizens Medal -- the nation's second-highest civilian honor -- to 12 individuals in a White House ceremony, multiple sources told ABC News and a White House official confirmed Thursday.
The recipients will include Metropolitan Police Officer Daniel Hodges, Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman, Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn, Capitol Police Officer Carolyn Edwards, retired Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, and retired Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone.
Biden will also bestow the honor posthumously to Brian Sicknick, a Capitol Police officer who officials said died of natural causes a day after being assaulted with bear spray while defending the Capitol.
MORE: Police officer died of 'natural' causes day after Capitol riot: Medical examiner
Ahead of the event at the White House, lawmakers gathered Friday morning on Capitol Hill to hold a moment of silence for the 140 officers injured in the attack.
"Our democracy is in tact because of those officers," said Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the incoming House Democratic Caucus leader, as members gathered on the House steps.
"We will never forget their sacrifice and we will never forget this day," he added.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi, who was serving as House speaker during the attack, said the scars for many are still "raw."
"The Jan. 6 insurrection shook our republic to the core," Pelosi said. "For many in the Congress and across our country, the physical, psychological, and emotional scars are still raw. Yet, from the unspeakable horror sprang extraordinary heroism as law enforcement heroes confronted the insurrectionists to protect the Capitol, the Congress and our Constitution."
Family members of the law enforcement officers who died in connection to the attack took a moment to read out the names of their loved ones.
While Jeffries invited all House members to attend, the crowd appeared mostly made up of Democrats. One notable figure absent from the event was Republican leader Kevin McCarty, who was on Capitol Hill Friday morning amid his bid to become the next speaker of the House.
At 2 p.m. Friday afternoon, Biden will mark the occasion by highlighting not only the officers but election officials who resisted efforts to change the results.
"To mark two years since the insurrection on the Capitol, Biden will host a ceremony at the White House where he will deliver remarks and award the Presidential Citizens Medal to "individuals who made exemplary contributions to our democracy surrounding January 6, 2021," a senior White House official said.
Others who will receive the award include Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, mother-daughter election workers who were the target of right-wing conspiracies following the 2020 race. They've since discussed living in fear since the attacks against them began, describing how they were forced to leave their jobs.
Several state and local officials who stood up to pressure to overturn the 2020 election results will also receive the honor, including former Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and former Philadelphia City Commissioner Al Schmidt.
"These 12 heroes demonstrated courage and selflessness during a moment of peril for our nation," the White House official added. "They include Capitol Police, Metropolitan Police, election workers, and officials at the state and local level."
Many of the officers Biden will recognize on Friday have testified about their harrowing experiences during the insurrection. More than 100 officers were injured as pro-Donald Trump supporters stormed the area.
Dunn, Hodges, Fanone and Gonell described first-hand the violence toward law enforcement during the first hearing of the House Jan. 6 committee, telling lawmakers they all feared for their lives.
Edwards, who testified at a different Jan. 6 committee hearing, said called the Capitol attack a "war scene."
"There were officers on the ground. You know, they were bleeding. They were throwing up. You know, they had, I mean, I saw friends with blood all over their faces. I was slipping in people's blood. I was catching people as they fell."
Biden has repeatedly condemned the Capitol attack as a dark day for American democracy.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Wednesday that Biden's focus on the second anniversary of the attack will be to recognize Americans who "showed those best values of who we are."
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