Video footage of a South Carolina children’s choir being stopped by Capitol Police from singing the national anthem at the U.S. Capitol has garnered millions of views.
Singers from Greenville’s Rushingbrook Children’s Choir were stopped because of a “miscommunication” on May 26, Capitol Police said.
Initially, Capitol Police issued a statement saying they thought the group did not have permission to perform in the building. However, they later clarified that they “were not aware that the Speaker’s Office had approved this performance.”
Choir director David Rasbach and another choir director said the office of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (D-CA.) approved the performance, which the speaker’s office confirmed
Video footage of the South Carolina children’s choir being stopped by Capitol Police from singing the national anthem at the U.S. Capitol garnered millions of views in hours.
Some Republicans accused the Capitol Police of acting against the children because of political bias, but the Capitol Police said that was untrue and blamed a Congressional staffer in an email for repeatedly lying to officers about obtaining clearances from various offices, according to a statement sent to the Daily Signal.
Capitol Police released a statement about the video, addressing rumors that the children’s choir singing the Star-Spangled Banner had been stopped because it “might offend someone.”
The statement noted that the truth is that “Demonstrations and musical performances are not allowed in the U.S. Capitol.”
The statement explained that because the performers were children, Capitol Police were “reasonably” allowing the kids to finish the performance.
The statement continued, noting how the staffer accompanying the group “lied to officers” about having permission, placing “the choir and our officers, who were simply doing their jobs, in an awkward and embarrassing position.”
