Sandra Garza, the longtime romantic partner of the late Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, who died very soon after helping with the defense of the Capitol complex against rioting Trump supporters, joined those criticizing Tucker Carlson this week.
The Fox News host has been running with a deceptive narrative about what took place at the Capitol on January 6. In short, Carlson’s team was provided access by House Speaker Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to footage showing scenes around the Capitol premises as the riot took place, and the Fox host has been using some clips from the tranche of materials to downplay what happened, alleging that he’s disproving some imagined conspiracy from the Democrats about what in reality is that day’s real-world seriousness. Some of what Carlson highlighted was footage showing Sicknick active during the assault on the Capitol despite the attacks he himself had faced, and the host’s idea was his death shortly thereafter from a series of strokes wasn’t related.
Even the D.C. medical examiner who found Sicknick to have died of what have been deemed natural causes acknowledged the possibility that what took place at the Capitol weighed on the late officer’s condition. Sicknick was among the officers attacked with chemical irritants. “I’m appalled that this new footage was shown on Tucker Carlson’s show and that he is downplaying the significance of Brian’s death,” Garza said. “He is not a doctor or a mental health professional and does not have the expertise to understand how one severe traumatic event can so significantly impact the body and brain. For him to act as an expert is laughable.” Sicknick’s family members, including his mother and brothers, have also spoken out following Carlson trying to use Brian’s death to further his deceptive narrative that the riot wasn’t that bad.
The Sicknick family was similarly critical towards Carlson. “What will it take to convince people that the Jan 6th Insurrection was very real, was very violent, and that the event was orchestrated by a man who is every bit as corrupt and evil as Vladimir Putin?” they said. Others who’ve joined the wave of criticism include Republicans like Mitch McConnell, Liz Cheney, and Mitt Romney, along with Capitol Police chief Tom Manger. Carlson just isn’t getting the basic facts right, claiming, for instance, that cops were acting in significant number as what were essentially tour guides for the mob participants. In reality, police that day were facing a lack of resources and turned to alternative tactics. They weren’t just arresting everybody partly because they didn’t have the space to do so. These details have all been well-documented.
Elsewhere, Garza is suing Trump and two rioters involved in attacking Sicknick, seeking financial penalties.
