I saw the video but thought it would be wise to wait a bit in case this was a misunderstanding or someone jumping to conclusions. It was a little bit of both for the Rushingbrook Children’s Choir. The acoustics were terrific for this rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner. The members of this troupe were inside the Capitol Rotunda but were interrupted by police officers who briefly shut down the performance. Yes, you read that right: the Capitol Police intervened.
Initial reports were that police told the choir the song might be offensive. Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) described the event as “unacceptable” and hopes to see them again performing the national anthem inside the Capitol soon. Capitol Police said the incident was due to a “miscommunication” (via NY Post):
The incident involving the Rushingbrook Children’s Choir and Capitol Police occurred on May 26 in the Capitol Building’s National Statuary Hall, as members of the Greenville, South Carolina-based chorus sang “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Video footage of the event shows the conductor of the group, David Rasbach, cutting the young singers off before they could finish singing the patriotic tune.
[…]
Capitol Police told The Post on Friday that singing is not usually allowed in the building and that officers were not aware McCarthy had approved the performance.
“Although popup demonstrations and musical performances are not allowed in the U.S. Capitol without the proper approval, due to a miscommunication, the U.S Capitol Police were not aware that the Speaker’s Office had approved this performance,” the agency said. “We apologize to the choir for this miscommunication that impacted their beautiful rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner and their visit to Capitol Hill.”
Rasbach told The Daily Signal that the female officer insisted the singing was a demonstration and later alleged that “some people were offended” by the performance.
The Capitol Police stopped the Rushbrook Children's Choir while they were singing our National Anthem in Statuary Hall at the U.S Capitol
— Mercedes Schlapp (@mercedesschlapp) June 2, 2023
They were told they might offend someone
The only offensive thing about this is the anti-Americanism that has permeated our nation's capital pic.twitter.com/awAvHCnsv0
Speaker McCarthy want to know why Capitol Police interrupted children’s choir singing Nat’l Anthem https://t.co/vdIynDgOi8
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) June 3, 2023
Just learned kids were interrupted while singing our National Anthem at the Capitol. Unacceptable.
— Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) June 2, 2023
These children were welcomed by my office because your Capitol is back open, particularly for school groups. @RepTimmons, @RepJoeWilson, & @RepRussellFry, and I look forward to…
This capital officer gets a call and sends the other guy over to stop the children from singing, WHO CALLED THE OFFICER??? pic.twitter.com/IEWMabhAln
— BarbLuvsAlaska (@Bud_Bailey3) June 2, 2023
Who was offended by the performance? Communists? Terrorists? Liberals? Too bad. It’s the capital. It’s our national anthem. Please leave if that triggers you. Bring these kids back as soon as possible.