U.S. Capitol Police on Sunday announced the death of an off-duty officer. No cause or date of death was released.

Police identified the officer as Howard Liebengood, 51, and said he was assigned to the Senate Division. He had been with the department since April 2005.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends, and colleagues,” reads a statement from the Capitol Police. “We ask that his family, and other USCP officers’ and their families’ privacy be respected during this profoundly difficult time.”

Sen. Rick Scott embarrassed Florida (again) by attaching his vote and the state’s good name to one of the darkest episodes in American history. In a disgusting though unsurprising move, Scott was one of only seven senators Thursday to vote against certifying Pennsylvania’s election results. It was a craven, self-serving exercise by Republican extremists. Coming only hours after an armed, pro-Trump mob stormed and ransacked the Capitol, it showed how far out of whack Scott is with mainstream America and its democratic ideals.

Congressional Republicans had no legitimate reason or legal grounds to challenge President-elect Joe Biden’s victory and certainly no constitutional role in stealing the election after-the-fact. In that sense, the objections that Republicans manufactured in advance of Wednesday’s joint session of Congress were as dangerous as they were dubious. Many Republicans who had said they would join the other extremists in their party to participate in this coup were at least scared-straight by the outbreak of violence that erupted as Congress met. Egged on by the president at a rally blocks away, the mob laid siege to the Capitol, breaking into offices, smashing windows, stealing art and furniture and forcing America’s elected representatives to run in fear for their lives. One woman was shot and killed on the Capitol grounds, and at least two dozen police officers were injured.

Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio had enough integrity to vote against decertifying the results, becoming one of 93 senators to uphold Arizona and 92 to affirm Pennsylvania. But Scott split his vote, upholding Arizona while objecting to Pennsylvania. Scott announced in advance that he would “likely vote” to object on Pennsylvania, saying the steps Pennsylvania took to ease mail-in voting during the pandemic were “absurd and cannot be tolerated.”

Since the Nov. 3 election, Republicans and the Trump campaign mounted several legal challenges in Pennsylvania, most of which were thrown out. Pennsylvania’s top court dismissed the mail-in voting challenge, and the U.S. Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, including three Trump
appointees, later declined to weigh in.

Those senators voting against the results of the presidential election in Pennsylvania were: Josh Hawley of Missouri, Ted Cruz of Texas, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, Roger Marshall of Kansas, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming and Rick Scott of Florida.

Those voting against the results of the election in Arizona were: Mr. Hawley, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Tuberville, Ms. Hyde-Smith, Mr. Marshall and John Kennedy of Louisiana.

The supporters of President Donald Trump who stormed the Capitol on Wednesday to stop the ratification of President-elect Joe Biden's election victory were attempting a violent coup that multiple European security officials said appeared to have at least tacit support from aspects of the US federal agencies responsible for securing the Capitol complex.

Insider spoke with three officials on Thursday morning: a French police official responsible for public security in a key section of central Paris, and two intelligence officials from NATO countries who directly work in counterterrorism and counterintelligence operations involving the US, terrorism, and Russia.

They said the circumstantial evidence available pointed to what would be openly called a coup attempt in any other nation. None were willing to speak on the record because of the dire nature of the subject.

While they did not furnish evidence that federal agency officials facilitated the chaos, Insider is reporting this information because it illustrates the scale and seriousness of Wednesday's events: America's international military and security allies are now willing to give serious credence to the idea that Trump deliberately tried to violently overturn an election and that some federal law-enforcement agents — by omission or otherwise — facilitated the attempt.

January 8, 2021

Dear Mr. (redacted):

Thank you for contacting me to express your views regarding the violent insurrection against our democracy that took place on January 6, 2021.

The United States saved my family from tyranny and gave us refuge. I love this country beyond words. Using violence and intimidation, desecrating the symbol of our great Republic, and obstructing democracy are nothing less than a seditious assault upon our nation.

However, the violent mob failed. Congress refused to be intimidated, and we finished our work to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election. I took a solemn oath to defend America against her enemies, both foreign and domestic, and I intend to keep it.

Make no mistake. The President of the United States incited this violent insurrection. He has proven that he cannot uphold his oath to the Constitution and faithfully discharge the solemn duties of his office. That is why I believe the 25th Amendment should be invoked, and the President should be removed in order to ensure the peaceful transition of power. We must act swiftly to defend our democracy.

I want to assure you that my staff and I were not harmed by the assault on the Capitol, and I am grateful to you and so many of my constituents for your kind expressions of concern.

It's an honor to be your voice in our nation's capital.

Sincerely,
(signed)
Stephanie Murphy
Member of Congress