MICHAEL C. Stenger protected the Capitol building from harm since the US Senate elected him as Sergeant at Arms in 2018.
He was responsible for the responsible for security around the Capitol building until he resigned from his position following the pro-Trump riot in Washington DC on January 6.
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Who is Sergeant at Arms Michael C. Stenger?
Stenger served as the Chief of Staff for the U.S. Senate Sergeant at Arms from January 2015.
He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey and attained the rank of Captain in the U.S. Marine Corps.
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The Sergeant at Arms (SAA) “enforces rules of the Senate; provides a range of technical and administrative services to Senators in their Washington, D.C., and state offices; and maintains security in the Capitol and Senate office buildings,” according to the United States Senate website.
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The SAA organization is compromised of 800 people.
Stenger was selected in 2004 as a Presidential Meritorious Rank Award recipient.
When was he sworn in?
Stenger was sworn in on April 16, 2018, as the 41st United States Senate Sergeant at Arms after Frank J. Larkin retired.
He was put forward by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
McConnell released a statement after rioters stormed the Capitol building during Congress’ Electoral College vote count on January 6.
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He praised “those front-line U.S. Capitol Police officers who stood bravely in harm’s way during yesterday’s failed insurrection” but announced that an investigation would take place.
Trump told those that sieged the Capitol to “go home in peace,” after a woman was shot and killed amid the violent scenes.
The victim was later identified as 35-year-old Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt.
Will he be fired?
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he plans to fire Stenger from his Sergeant at Arms position when Democrats take control of the upper chamber in light of the events on January 6.
“If Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Stenger hasn’t vacated the position by then, I will fire him as soon as Democrats have a majority in the Senate,” Schumer, who is set to become the Senate majority leader, said in a January 7 statement to The Hill.
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Schumer’s statement comes after after pro-Trump rioters overran the Capitol on January 6 as Congress met to officially count Electoral College votes.
Congressmen were forced to flee the building for several hours as the area locked down.
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“Yesterday represented a massive failure of institutions, protocols, and planning that are supposed to protect the first branch of our federal government,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a statement.
“A painstaking investigation and thorough review must now take place and significant changes must follow. Initial bipartisan discussions have already begun among committees of oversight and Congressional Leadership,” he continued.
“The ultimate blame for yesterday lies with the unhinged criminals who broke down doors, trampled our nation’s flag, fought with law enforcement, and tried to disrupt our democracy, and with those who incited them,
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“But this fact does not and will not preclude our addressing the shocking failures in the Capitol’s security posture and protocols.”
House Appropriations Committee Chair Rose DeLauro and House Legislative Branch Appropriations subcommittee Chair Tim Ryan announced they would be launching an investigation into the riots.
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