Brian Sicknick death ruling debunks media narrative that fueled second Trump impeachment: Hurt

The official ruling on the cause of U.S. Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick's death debunks the media narrative upon which former President Donald Trump's second impeachment was largely predicated, Washington Times opinion editor and Fox News contributor Charlie Hurt told "America Reports" Tuesday.

Washington D.C.'s top medical examiner ruled Monday that Sicknick suffered two strokes and died of natural causes the day after he confronted rioters at the U.S. Capitol building Jan. 6. The ruling appears to contradict early media reports that Sicknick had died after he was struck in the head with a fire extinguisher by Trump supporters during the melee.

"The problem was, it fit a narrative that they wanted to tell," Hurt told host Sandra Smith.

"That narrative included the fact that his death was a key — probably the most significant part — of the impeachment trial against [former] President Trump. The entire impeachment hung on that. Because of that narrative, the media, they ran with it, politicians ran with it."

NEW YORK TIMES CORRECTS REPORT ON CAPITOL OFFICER'S DEATH CITED IN TRUMP IMPEACHMENT TRIAL

While Sicknick's death was tragic regardless of its cause, Hurt emphasized, the media's rush to push a political narrative reveals an "extraordinary disdain that these people have for the extraordinary service that Officer Sicknick provided that day and throughout his career."

The New York Times reported on Jan. 8 that Sicknick died from injuries sustained while physically engaging with pro-Trump rioters. The report cited two anonymous law enforcement officials who claimed Sicknick was "struck with a fire extinguisher" during the violence. House impeachment managers used the Times article as evidence in their impeachment pre-trial memo against Trump.

Weeks later, the Times quietly updated its story to note new information "questions the initial cause of his death provided by officials close to the Capitol Police," but the revision came weeks after the inaccurate information was initially published.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP

"What's sort of more amazing to me is the fact that officer Sicknick’s body was cremated over two months ago," Hurt observed, "and so the evidence that we now have, that officer Sicknick died the next day of natural causes, was based on information that they had over two months ago.

"So DOJ officials, Democrats on Capitol Hill and the media have been telling the lies ever since then."