No cause of death has been released.
QUICK FACTS:
- Michael Stenger, the former Senate Sergeant-at-arms during early 2021, has been found dead, according to multiple news outlets.
- “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,” tweeted Fox News Channel’s Chad Pergram.
- No cause of death has been given for Stenger, 71, who was a former Secret Service member and Marine who continued his governmental service with the Senate.
- Prior to his death, Stenger suggested that the demonstration that devolved into a riot on Capitol Hill was likely perpetrated by what appeared to be “professional agitators.”
- Speculation has arisen that Stenger’s death could be connected to the ongoing investigation into the events of Jan. 6.
STENGER’S COMMENTS BEFORE THE SENATE ABOUT JAN 6:
- “I am a proponent of the concept of Intelligence Led Policing. This methodology can be used in assessing threats to individual members as well as threats to the campus. As in all intelligence operations, it is only as good as the analyst assessing it and the assessment is then placed in the hands of appropriate leadership to take proper steps in order to mitigate any threat,” Stenger said in an opening statement before a Senate committee last year.
- “We have to be careful of returning to a time when possibility rather than probability drives security planning. Though the events of January 6th certainly reveal that a review of Intelligence Led Policing should be done, returning to the concept of possibility driving security operations may result in the poor use of resources. This is the constant give and take of security planning,” he went on to say.
- “There is an opportunity to learn lessons from the events of January 6th. Investigations should be considered as to funding and travel of what appears to be professional agitators. First Amendment rights should always be considered in conjunction with professional investigations.”
- “In conclusion, whenever you prepare for a major event, you must always consider the possibility of some form of civil disobedience at these demonstrations and plan accordingly. The events of January 6th went beyond disobedience. This was a violent, coordinated attack where the loss of life could have been much worse.”
BACKGROUND:
- During the events of the Jan. 6 riots, it took more than four hours for the National Guard to arrive on the scene and some have criticized Stenger and his House counterpart, Paul Irving, for not calling for help sooner.
- Stenger joined the Senate sergeant-at-arms team in 2011 after spending 35 years in the Secret Service. He was nominated by then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and was confirmed unanimously.
- McConnell also “requested and received” his resignation on Jan. 7, 2021.
