The Architect of the Capitol, the legislative agency tasked with the maintenance and operation of the Capitol, was sued on Thursday by two police officers who defended the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, against rioters.

The lawsuit, on behalf of former Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn and current officer Daniel Hodges, was filed against Architect of the Capitol Thomas Austin in an effort to push Congress to install a plaque commemorating the officers who were injured in their defense of the Capitol.

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Congress passed a law in 2022 mandating the creation of a memorial to commemorate the Capitol Police officers who defended the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

The law gave the Architect of the Capitol one year to install the plaque, but that deadline has lapsed by two years. 

The House speaker is responsible for any modifications to the House side of the Capitol, according to Austin, who told a House subcommittee that Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has directed him to install the plaque, which has already been made. 

The lawsuit suggested the delay in the plaque’s installation is an example of how President Donald Trump and his Republican allies are seeking to change the narrative of the Capitol riot. Trump has called Jan. 6 a “day of love” and pardoned 1,500 rioters on his first day in office, of whom 600 were accused of assaulting police officers.

“Many politicians who once spoke plainly about the dangers of that day began to rewrite its history, and minimize the terror of the attack,” the lawsuit stated. 

The lawsuit states that rioters “assaulted officers, sprayed them with chemicals, and hit them with pipes, tools, and the bike racks.”

It claims that Hodges found himself “crushed between a wedge of doors as the mob pushed against them” and that Dunn was subjected to racial slurs. 

“Both men live with psychic injuries from that day, compounded by their government’s refusal to recognize their service,” the lawsuit stated.

Hodges and Dunn, who made a failed bid for Congress, met with Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) on Thursday to discuss the lawsuit. Dunn claimed that they had made several pleas to the architect to begin installing the plaque but that they were ignored. 

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“It didn’t work,” he said. “It’s unfortunate that we had to file a lawsuit to compel Congress to follow their own law, but here we are.”

The Washington Examiner reached out to Austin’s office for comment.