The person who served the role of U.S. Senate sergeant-at-arms while the January 6th riot took place, and went on to suggest that “professional agitators” could be to blame for the incident, was discovered dead, according to recent reports.
The death of Michael Stenger takes place as the House of Representatives carries out its investigation into the riot that took place inside the U.S. Capitol last year. As of writing, no cause of death has been officially stated for Stenger, who is known to have been a 35-year veteran of the Secret Service and a former U.S. Marine.
“Fox confirms that Michael Stenger, the Senate Sergeant at Arms who was in charge of Senate security the day of the Capitol riot, has died,” stated Chad Pergram, with Fox News, via social media.
1) Fox confirms that Michael Stenger, the Senate Sergeant at Arms who was in charge of Senate security the day of the Capitol riot, has died.
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) June 27, 2022
Because of the lack of details, a large amount of speculation has spawned and surged across social media, most likely because of Stenger’s proximity to the currently ongoing probe. Stenger, aged 71, was faulted alongside the former U.S. Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund via a report from the Senate Rules Committee for not calling for aid from members of the National Guard. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), the soon-to-be-Senate Majority Leader, issued a vow to make sure Stenger was fired, despite Stenger holding the post since 2018, if he was not kicked out by January 20, 2021.
Then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) “requested and received the resignation” from Stenger as of Jan. 7, 2021.
“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,” stated McConnell at that time. “But this fact does not and will not preclude our addressing the shocking failures in the Capitol’s security posture and protocols.”
Sund, however, never submitted any formal requests to the Capitol Police Board for National Guard assistance before the inception of the riots, as stated by a report from the Senate. He had a few different informal conversations with Stenger and Stenger’s equivalent for the House, Paul Irving, but not a single person acted on the matter before the inception of the riot events, which were carried out by Trump supporters in hopes of stopping President-elect Joe Biden from being formally elected.
Stenger stepped up to defend himself last year while giving his testimony throughout the Senate investigation and implied that the riots themselves have been fueled by “professional agitators.”
“There is an opportunity to learn lessons from the events of January 6,” he stated. “Investigations should be considered as to funding and travel of what appears to be professional agitators.”