It was a once-in-a-lifetime-opportunity: In the famous Statutory Hall, the Rushingbrook Children's Choir was showing off its acapella skills. Video footage of the talented singers shows a congressional staffer walking to choir director David Rasbach and whisper something in his ear. Then the choir director signaled for the choir to stop.
In an interview with The Daily Signal, Rasbach said a police officer had told the congressional staffer the singing was considered a demonstration, and demonstrations are not allowed in the U.S. Capitol. The police officer also suggested the performance could be considered offensive by onlookers, the choir director told the Signal.
In a statement, the Capitol Police denied their police officer had said anything about offending anyone but the statement did state, “Here is the truth. Demonstrations and musical performances are not allowed in the U.S. Capitol.”
That statement is not true, however. Several musical performances have been done there in the past, the Signal story pointed out, such as evangelist Sean Feucht singing February 1 and again March 10.
Capitol Police were also ripped by Micah Rea, a South Carolina businessman who arranged the school trip. Capitol Police claimed the congressional staffer had lied about the choir getting permission to sing – “lied to the officers multiple times” the police statement reads – but both Rea and Rasbach showed letters from lawmakers proving they had permission to perform just as the staffer had said.
“That is not true. He did not lie to anybody,” the choir director told the Signal.
Rasbach also told the Signal he was “shocked” and “stunned” over what happened because he had secured permission from three congressional offices, including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), to perform.
"If the Speaker's office gave them permission, that's the end of discussion," talk show host Jeff Crank tells AFN, "because the Capitol Police work for the Speaker of the House."
Not done with its blame game, Capitol Police also claimed its police officers politely “allowed the children to finish” their rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner because the “singers in this situation are children.”
“That’s a bald-faced lie,” Rea told the Signal, since video shows the choir was forced to stop singing.
Rasbach also said the police officer who forced them to stop singing shrugged when he told her the children would be upset. She told him they could go outside and sing, he recalled.
