Family members of the late officer Brian Sicknick, who passed away after the events that transpired at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, appeared to avoid shaking hands with Senate Minority Minority Leader Mitch McConnel and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday at a ceremony honoring the officers who responded in the protest.

C-SPAN video shows several of the officers and their family members walking by McConnell and McCarthy before shaking the hand of Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer.  As the honorees passed past, McConnell continued to hold out his hand like a buffoon.

According to some reports, Sicknick’s mother Gladys Sicknick and brother Ken Sicknick were among those who refused to shaking hands with the Republican leaders.

McCarthy held onto a box containing one of the medals as the honorees walked by, but he didn’t appear to put out his hand.

Members of Congress convened in the Rotunda to present the Congressional Gold Medal to officers who had worked to “defend” the Capitol that day.

On behalf of their respective agencies, D.C. Police Chief Robert Contee and U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger received medals. Family members of policemen who died in the area around Jan. 6 also attended the ceremony.

Sicknick lost consciousness during the riot, experienced two strokes, and passed away the next day. Sicknick “died in the line of duty, courageously defending Congress and the Capitol,” according to Capitol Police.

Before this year’s midterm elections, Sicknick’s mother blamed those who supported President Trump’s allegations that the 2020 election had been rigged, including failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake.  The deceased officer’s former claimed that those close to Trump were to blame for their silence prior to the attack.

McCarthy and McConnell both spoke during the ceremony after the awards were given out.

McCarthy referred to the officers’ acts as part of a national discourse about law enforcement as “the brotherhood of law enforcement.”

“These brave men and women are heroes … Days like today force us to realize how much we owe the thin blue line,” McCarthy said.

According to McConnell, the officers’ efforts to protect the Capitol and make it possible for the lawmakers to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election.