WASHINGTON — Michael Stenger, the former Senate sergeant-at-arms who oversaw Senate security during the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, was found dead on Monday morning, two sources familiar with the matter tell NBC News.
The medical examiner in Virginia did not handle his death, a spokesman said, indicating it was not considered suspicious.
Fox News reported that Stenger had cancer.
Stenger, who was nominated as sergeant-at-arms in 2018, resigned the day after the Capitol riot after facing backlash from lawmakers over his handling of security on the 6th.
Stenger’s cause of death is not yet known. The U.S. Capitol Police declined to comment.
In the wake of Jan. 6, Stenger, as well as former House Sergeant-at-Arms Paul Irving and former Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund, came under fire for security failures at the Capitol. Despite would-be rioters openly planning online to try to occupy the building in the weeks leading up to the attack, officials blamed a lack of intelligence.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who nominated Stenger to his post in 2018, said on Jan. 7 that he had asked for and received Stenger’s resignation. Sund and Irving also resigned that day.
Stenger spent much of his career working for the U.S. Secret Service before joining the Senate as an assistant sergeant-at-arms in 2011. He also served in the Marine Corps, where he attained the rank of captain.
Scott Wong contributed.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
