Video: Virginia House of Delegates Resolution Commends Virginia State Police, National Guard For Defending US Capitol on 1/6/21 Against What Del. Dan Helmer Accurately Describes as “Armed Mob of Right-Wing Insurrectionists”

A few minutes ago in the Virginia House of Delegates, Delegate Dan Helmer presented House Joint Resolution 712 and House Joint Resolution 713 (see both of them, below), commending the Virginia State Police and the Virginia National Guard for their efforts in defending our nation’s Capitol against violent, pro-Trump, far-right insurrectionists on January 6, 2021. As Del. Dan Helmer stated (see video, below):

“On January 6, 2021, an armed mob of right-wing insurrectionists conducted a premeditated attack on Washington, DC, egged on by politicians who had renounced their oaths of office. They defiled the temple of our democracy, the U.S. Capitol. They attacked, wounded and killed Capitol Police. They forced lawmakers and their staff to seek refuge. They defiled the sacrosanct counting of votes in a free-and-fair election. And in this moment of darkness, our Virginia State Police and our Virginia National Guard were a beacon of light, responding to the call of their nation, holding dear their oaths to defend our constitution against ALL enemies, foreign and domestic…They did not complain. They did their duty. They ensured the transition of power to the duly elected president of the United States…”

And as Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn added:

“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. For being here today, but also for representing the men and the women of the National Guard and the State Police. January 6, 2021 was a day that shook our country to the core, and it’s because of your heroic actions, because of your bravery…that there was no further violence at our nation’s Capitol…”

As for House Republicans, the response of their leader, Del. Todd Gilbert, was just bizarre. In short, Gilbert talked about how amazing tear gas is, how Democrats supposedly hate tear gas, how “there were in fact no injuries to law enforcement [on January 6, 2021]” – WTF? – blah blah blah. If you really want to see Gilbert’s tirade, see here. How anyone can take the Virginia GOP seriously at this point is just incomprehensible…

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 712Offered February 2, 2021Commending the Virginia State Police.

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Patrons– Filler-Corn, Adams, D.M., Avoli, Ayala, Bagby, Bulova, Carr, Convirs-Fowler, Fowler, Gooditis, Guy, Guzman, Hayes, Helmer, Hope, Hurst, Jenkins, Jones, Keam, Kory, Levine, Marshall, McQuinn, Mugler, Murphy, Plum, Price, Rasoul, Reid, Roem, Sickles, Simonds, Subramanyam, Sullivan, Torian, Tran, VanValkenburg, Watts and Willett; Senators: Bell, Boysko, Deeds, Howell and Spruill

———-WHEREAS, on January 6, 2021, members of the Virginia State Police from throughout the Commonwealth mobilized and responded to the attack on the United States Capitol Building; and

WHEREAS, prior to the ceremonial counting of Electoral College votes by a joint session of the United States Congress, the Virginia State Police coordinated with other law-enforcement agencies to monitor intelligence reports and address potential threats; and

WHEREAS, on the day of the count, the Virginia State Police prepared 71 troopers from the Division 7 Fairfax office to respond to any immediate incidents in Fairfax County or Northern Virginia, while the Division 2 Culpeper office placed a quick-reaction platoon of an additional 60 troopers on call in the event of an emergency; and

WHEREAS, at approximately 2:20 p.m., the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia, acting on behalf of the United States Capitol Police, requested assistance, and the Virginia State Police relocated the troopers from the Fairfax office to Arlington County to await further instructions; and

WHEREAS, law-enforcement officers at the Capitol estimated that there were 75,000 attendees for the “Stop the Steal” gathering around the building, and as the count continued, members of the rally turned violent and broke through barricades, with hundreds of insurrectionists ultimately breaching doors and windows to enter the building and storm congressional offices and chambers; and

WHEREAS, after the Virginia State Police received a formal request for 200 troopers, the platoon from Fairfax deployed to the Capitol grounds, and an additional 100 troopers from the Richmond and Chesapeake divisions were activated and responded promptly with no forewarning; and

WHEREAS, the troopers from Fairfax were led through underground passageways to the lower west terrace, where rioters, many of whom were armed, were attempting to breach the doors to the Capitol Building; and

WHEREAS, members of the Virginia State Police, the United States Capitol Police, and the Metropolitan Police Department courageously engaged the rioters, clearing the first level of the inauguration stage in the face of extreme violence and aggression; and

WHEREAS, members of the Virginia State Police and the other law-enforcement agencies maintained the initiative and pushed the rioters down to the second level of the inauguration stage and away from the Capitol; and

WHEREAS, after the engagement, the Virginia State Police established a defensive perimeter at the west entrance to the Capitol Building; no Virginia state troopers were injured while retaking the building; and

WHEREAS, executive and command staff of the Virginia State Police established an incident command center at the Area 45 Arlington office, and troopers from the Counties of Appomattox, Chesapeake, Culpeper, and Fairfax and the Cities of Richmond and Salem helped provide 24-hour security until January 8, 2021, when complete control of the Capitol grounds was restored; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia State Police ably served the nation and responded to an extraordinary situation with the utmost distinction, demonstrating courage, composure, fortitude, and a strong commitment to safeguarding the founding ideals and institutions of the United States; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Virginia State Police for its performance above and beyond its duties during the attack on the United States Capitol Building on January 6, 2021; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Virginia State Police as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for its professionalism during this unprecedented incident.

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 713Offered February 2, 2021Commending the Virginia National Guard.

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Patrons– Filler-Corn, Adams, D.M., Avoli, Ayala, Bagby, Bourne, Bulova, Carr, Convirs-Fowler, Fowler, Gooditis, Guy, Hayes, Helmer, Hope, Hurst, Jones, Keam, Kory, Levine, Marshall, McQuinn, Mugler, Murphy, Plum, Price, Rasoul, Reid, Roem, Scott, Sickles, Simonds, Subramanyam, Sullivan, Torian, Tran, VanValkenburg, Watts and Willett; Senators: Bell, Boysko, Deeds, Howell, Lewis and Spruill

———-WHEREAS, in January 2021, members of the Virginia National Guard from throughout the Commonwealth mobilized and responded to the attack on the United States Capitol Building; and

WHEREAS, during the ceremonial counting of Electoral College votes by a joint session of the United States Congress on January 6, 2021, law-enforcement officers at the Capitol estimated that 75,000 attendees of the “Stop the Steal” gathering surrounded the building; and

WHEREAS, as the count continued, participants turned violent and broke through barricades, with hundreds of insurrectionists ultimately breaching doors and windows to enter the Capitol Building and storm congressional offices and chambers; in response to a request for assistance from Mayor Muriel E. Bowser, Governor Ralph S. Northam authorized the Virginia National Guard to deploy to Washington, D.C.; and

WHEREAS, on January 7, the Virginia National Guard quickly mustered personnel, many of whom unexpectedly had to leave their families and full-time jobs, and departed for Washington, D.C., to provide security at the United States Capitol; approximately 2,000 Virginia National Guard personnel had deployed to the area by the following weekend; and

WHEREAS, Virginia National Guard personnel integrated with the local law-enforcement security plan to protect property and safeguard local residents and government officials, remaining on duty through the presidential inauguration on January 20; and

WHEREAS, in addition to the deployment to Washington, D.C., the Virginia National Guard has played a critical role in the Commonwealth’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic during 2020 and 2021 by distributing personal protective equipment to frontline workers and assisting the Virginia Department of Health with the planning, logistics, and administration of COVID-19 vaccinations; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia National Guard ably served the Commonwealth and the nation and responded to an extraordinary situation with the utmost distinction, demonstrating courage, composure, fortitude, and a strong commitment to safeguarding the founding ideals and institutions of the United States; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Virginia National Guard for its performance above and beyond its duties during and after the attack on the United States Capitol Building on January 6, 2021; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Virginia National Guard as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for its professionalism during this unprecedented incident.