(Photo : Getty Images/Drew Angerer)
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 06: U.S. Capitol police officers point their guns at a door that was vandalized in the House Chamber during a joint session of Congress on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC. Congress held a joint session today to ratify President-elect Joe Biden's 306-232 Electoral College win over President Donald Trump. A group of Republican senators said they would reject the Electoral College votes of several states unless Congress appointed a commission to audit the election results.
Two US Capitol Police Officers have been suspended for their actions amid the fatal rebellion by pro-Trump protesters on Wednesday.
Two US Capitol Police Officers Suspended
According to Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), a Democratic lawmaker who oversees the law enforcement agency's congressional funding, one officer seen posing for a selfie with a protester after they rampaged the building and another wore a red Trump hat while directing the rioters in the building have since been suspended.
Up to 15 more police officers are also under probing for their behavior during last week's riot in the Capitol. Federal agents will surmise whether current and former law enforcement officers played a role in the siege.
Ryan did not divulge the number of officers under investigation but clarified it was between 10 and 15 and did not disclose what they were being evaluated for except that it was their behavior during the siege.
The federal investigative interest is a focus and a part of the wider investigation into the Capitol Hills mob, according to sources. Authorities stated the probing into insurrectionist association with law enforcement is a priority due to the fact that the skills that officers are trained to use during their duties could be taken advantage of by an extremist mob.
Thousands of President Donald Trump's supporters inundated the Capitol, forcing lawmakers to flee and hide. The event recorded five fatalities.
According to Ryan, he was not sure whether the individual taken into custody was a Capitol Police officer or a member of the National Guard.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is continuing to probe the siege and has made at least 20 high-profile indictments across the nation, reported AJC.
Also Read: 'Walis Tambo' by Trump Supporter Spotted in US Capitol Riot
According to the congressman, Capitol Police are looking at all people involved that could have potentially facilitated the assault at a large or diminutive level.
Ryan added they prefer not to have an officer working on President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration who was not doing his role on the event on January 6.
"There were two people suspended. One was the selfie officer and another was an officer who had put a MAGA hat on and started directing some people around. It was the interim chief who determined that to be qualifying for immediate suspension," stated Ryan, reported KDRV.
He did not identify the said police officers. He believed that one officer had been taken into custody, but a spokesperson later clarified that he misspoke.
Also, according to the congressman, "We have to reestablish trust with the Capitol Police because of what happened. So many members of Congress and society writ large feel betrayed [and] let down by what happened," reported US News.
House Democrats have also posed questions regarding potential sympathies for the attackers among the officers of Capitol Police.
South Carolina Democrat and House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn is among those who have questions regarding whether some Capitol Police officers assisted the protesters and were complicit in last week's siege.
Brian Sicknick, a Capitol Police officer, died due to injuries from the event. Federal authorities have concluded his death as a murder.
Related Article: Iraq Issues Arrest Warrant For President Trump Over Drone Strike Killing
