House Speaker Kevin McCarthy condemned the police action as “unacceptable” because the children had the proper permits to perform their demonstration inside the building. As reported by Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, the US Capitol Police asked the children’s choir to stop singing the US anthem inside the building, arguing that their action could “offend someone” or “cause trouble.”
The choir’s director, David Rasbach, explained that a congressional staffer was ordered to stop the children’s singing, even though they had permission from South Carolina Republican Representatives William Timmons and Joe Wilson and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s office. Rasbach claimed that the Capitol Police officer mentioned to him that “some people were offended” by the demonstration.
The incident occurred on Friday, May 26, but the video recently went viral on social media, generating outrage among leading US political figures. McCarthy considered the interruption “unacceptable” and confirmed that he had authorized the performance. He also expressed his wish that the choir would return to perform in the halls of Congress.
Subsequently, the Capitol Police issued a statement apologizing for their performance and arguing that while such demonstrations were not permitted without proper authorization, they were unaware of the existence of the permit due to a “communication problem.” The authorities apologized to the choir for the miscommunication that affected their beautiful rendition of the national anthem and their visit to the Capitol.