FBI Director Wray won’t share Officer Brian Sicknick’s cause of death with senators
3-2-2021
Reports after Jan. 6 originally said Sicknick died after being bludgeoned by a fire extinguisher while fighting off then-President Donald Trump’s supporters, which authorities didn’t deny at the time. The claim became part of the impeachment trial case against Trump for allegedly inciting the riot — though his family now says it’s untrue.
Wray cited an “ongoing” investigation into Sicknick’s death.
“I certainly understand and respect and appreciate the keen interest in what happened to him — after all, he was here protecting all of you. And as soon as there is information that we can appropriately share, we want to be able to do that. But at the moment, the investigation is still ongoing,” Wray said at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) asked if that meant the FBI “have not determined” the cause of Sicknick’s death.
“That means we can’t yet disclose a cause of death at this stage,” Wray said.
Grassley pressed on, asking Wray to confirm whether the FBI has determined a cause of death.
“I didn’t say that. We’re not at a point where we can disclose or confirm the cause of death,” Wray said.
Sicknick’s cremated remains had the rare distinction of lying in honor last month in the Capitol Rotunda.
Recent news reports say the FBI believes that a capsaicin-based “bear spray” may have caused Sicknick’s death, though those reports also have not been confirmed on the record by authorities.
The officer’s mother said in a recent interview that the family also remained in the dark, though they believed that being bludgeoned was not the cause of death.
“He wasn’t hit on the head, no. We think he had a stroke, but we don’t know anything for sure. We’d love to know what happened,” said Sicknick’s mother, Gladys Sicknick.
https://nypost.com/2021/03/02/fbi-director-wray-mum-on-officer-brian-sicknicks-cause-of-death/