Former U.S. Senate sergeant-at-arms who was in charge on Jan. 6 found dead this week

The former Senate sergeant-at-arms who was in charge of Senate security on January 6, 2021, was found dead earlier this week. 

Micheal Stenger served as the United States Senate sergeant-at-arms from 2018 until after the Capitol riot last year, after which several lawmakers called for his resignation.

Stenger, who was 71, was found at his home in Falls Church, Virginia, earlier this week, the day before the surprise January 6 hearing during which former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson testified about former president Donald Trump.

Two people close to the situation who preferred to remain anonymous told the Associated Press Stenger was diagnosed with cancer and had been battling the illness before he passed away.

The news of Stenger’s passing stirred up some conspiracy theories online related to the January 6 hearings before Hutchinson was revealed as the surprise witness. However, there is currently no evidence to suggest foul play.

Prior to becoming Senate sergeant-at-arms, Stenger served for a decade in the Secret Service. After January 6th, Stenger resigned from the Senate position along with former House sergeant-at-arms Paul Irving and then-Chief of Capitol Police Steven Sund.

While Stenger did testify about January 6th in front of the Senate Rules Committee earlier this year, he was not scheduled to appear in front of the House Select Committee to discuss the details of the January 6 riot.

Stenger is survived by an ex-wife and two children.