The @nytimes just retracted its January 8 report that claimed Brian Sicknick was killed by a Trump supporter using a fire extinguisher. Not only is the original story untrue, they lied about the anonymous sources linked to the story. My update here https://t.co/Npo5dRG8ne
— Julie Kelly 🇺🇸 (@julie_kelly2) February 14, 2021
On January 8, two days after the supposed insurrection took place at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington D.C., The New York Times published a story blaming supporters of President Trump for Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick’s death.
“…on Wednesday, pro-Trump rioters attacked that citadel of democracy, overpowered Mr. Sicknick, 42, and struck him in the head with a fire extinguisher, according to two law enforcement officials,” declared The New York Times. “With a bloody gash in his head, Mr. Sicknick was rushed to the hospital and placed on life support. He died Thursday evening.”
That account has since been proven false.
While there were considerable questions raised about the account at the time, numerous mainstream media outlets ran with the assertion.
Congressional Democrats even published the claim – which was in turn based on the Times reporting – in the memorandum for the second impeachment of President Trump.
On Friday – one day before Mr. Trump was to be acquitted but after it was clear Democrats did not have the votes to convict – the Times quietly updated their story, retracting the claim.
Additionally, they stated that the “law enforcement officials” cited as the sources of the claim in the original story were not law enforcement officials at all but only “officials close to the Capitol Police.” [Emphasis added]
“UPDATE: New information has emerged regarding the death of the Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick that questions the initial cause of his death provided by officials close to the Capitol Police,” a disclaimer at the top of the story now reads.
Officer Sicknick’s remains laid in state at the Capitol Building on February 3, just prior to the Trump impeachment trial getting underway. Shortly after President Trump was acquitted on Saturday – one day after the Times’ printed its “update” – Joe Biden seemed to stick to the original narrative surrounding Sicknick’s death in a written statement.
“It was nearly two weeks ago that Jill and I paid our respects to Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, who laid in honor in the Rotunda after losing his life protecting the Capitol from a riotous, violent mob on January 6, 2021,” he wrote.
There has been minimal news coverage surrounding the correction or any of the additional information that has surfaced about Sicknick’s death in the five weeks since it was reported. Additionally, Sicknick’s body was cremated meaning there can be no additional forensic examination performed on him.