Biden to honor election workers, law enforcement on Jan. 6 anniversary

President Biden on Friday will mark two years since the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by awarding the Presidential Citizens Medal to several election workers and law enforcement officials who stood up for democracy.

Biden will deliver remarks and honor a dozen individuals for their contributions in the events surrounding the insurrection, a White House official said.

“These 12 heroes demonstrated courage and selflessness during a moment of peril for our nation. They include Capitol Police, Metropolitan Police, election workers, and officials at the state and local level,” the official said.

The honorees include former Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers, a Republican who refused to overturn the state’s 2020 election results despite pressure from then-President Trump and his allies. Bowers testified last year to the House committee investigating Jan. 6 about the harassment he faced in the aftermath of his decision.

Biden will also honor Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, who similarly faced harassment and protests over her certification of the state’s 2020 election results, as well as Al Schmidt, who worked as city commissioner on the Philadelphia County Board of Elections during the 2020 election.

He will also honor Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss. The two women have been subject to conspiracy theories about their work in the 2020 election tabulating ballots, and they testified before the House panel last year about the harassment they’ve endured as a result.

Biden on Friday will also give the Presidential Citizens Medal to several law enforcement officers who were present during the insurrection. Recipients include Capitol Police officers Harry Dunn, Caroline Edwards, Aquillino Gonell and Eugene Goodman. Officer Brian Sicknick will also be honored posthumously.

The president will also honor Metropolitan Police Department officers Michael Fanone and Daniel Hodges, who helped defend the Capitol on Jan. 6.

Friday’s ceremony will mark the first time Biden has given out the Presidential Citizens Medal, which is one of the highest civilian honors the president can award.

Scores of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, violently clashing with law enforcement as they tried to halt the certification of the 2020 election results. The attack followed weeks of claims from then-President Trump and his allies that the 2020 election was stolen and fraudulent. The morning of the insurrection, Trump urged his supporters to march to the Capitol and make their voices heard.

Biden last year spoke on the anniversary of the attack from the Capitol, where he condemned those who have attempted to minimize the significance of the insurrection. He has repeatedly invoked Jan. 6 in remarks, referring to it as a dark day in the nation’s history and accusing Republicans who back law enforcement but won’t acknowledge the Jan. 6 attack of hypocrisy.