Two Charged With Bear Spraying Capitol Officer Sicknick

Two men were charged with using chemical spray against Capitol police, but neither were charged in Sicknick's death, the cause of which is being kept hidden from the public.

Jordan Davidson reporting for The Federalist

Authorities charged two men with assaulting U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick with bear spray during the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, but still did not disclose the reason or official cause of death for the law enforcement officer’s passing.

According to Politico, Julian Khater, 32, and George Tanios, 39, were both arrested over the weekend after the FBI claimed to have identified them carrying and using the chemical spray against Capitol law enforcement including Sicknick in footage from the Capitol chaos. 

“The officers were temporary blinded by the substance, were temporary disabled from performing their duties and needed medical attention and assistance from fellow officers,” the criminal complaint reads. “They were initially treated with water in an effort to wash out the unknown substance from their eyes and on their face. All three officers were incapacitated and unable to perform their duties for at least 20 minutes or longer while they recovered from the spray.”

While Sicknick appeared to be “in good spirits” after the riot, even texting his brother, he later collapsed at Capitol Police headquarters and died after being admitted to the hospital.

While corrupt corporate media outlets such as the New York Times first reported on anonymously sourced claims that Sicknick was beaten to death with a fire extinguisher by a Trump-loving mob during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, a false story that quickly spread on social media and was amplified by congressional Democrats seeking action against former President Donald Trump, it is still unclear what caused Sicknick’s death.

Just last month, Sicknick’s mother told the Daily Mail that the officer may have died from a stroke but that his family has yet to be informed of the official cause of death.

“We think he had a stroke, but we don’t know anything for sure,” Gladys Sicknick said almost a month after stories about her son being bludgeoned to death by Trump supporters went viral. “We’d love to know what happened.”
FBI Director Christopher Wray recently refused to disclose any information about Sicknick’s passing to Congress, offering no further details other than “there is an ongoing investigation into his death.”

“I have to be careful at this stage because it’s ongoing, not to get out in front of it,” Wray said.

“So does that mean since the investigation’s going on, you have not determined the exact cause of the death?” Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Chuck Grassley of Iowa asked.

“That means we can’t yet disclose cause of death at this stage,” Wray replied.

“But you have determined the cause of death?” Grassley pressed.

“I didn’t say that. We’re not at a point where we can disclose or confirm the cause of death,” Wray stated.