Children’s choir is stopped from singing the National Anthem INSIDE the Capitol after an officer deemed it a ‘demonstration’ – but a spokesman later claims it decision was a ‘miscommunication’
- The Rushingbrook Children’s Choir was singing inside the US Capitol on May 26 when a Capitol Police officer directed a congressional staffer to stop the show
- Rasbach said the officer called the performance a ‘demonstration’ and said some were offended by the performance
- Performances are ‘not allowed in the US Capitol without the proper approval,’ and the interference was ‘due to a miscommunication,’ a PD spokesperson said
A children’s choir was told to stop singing the National Anthem by Capitol Police because it was deemed a ‘demonstration,’ but police insist it was a ‘miscommunication.’
The Rushingbrook Children’s Choir – based in South Carolina – was singing inside the US Capitol on May 26 when a female Capitol Police officer directed a congressional staffer to stop the show, Choir Director David Rasbach told the Daily Signal.
‘I was shocked, I was dismayed, I was stunned,’ the director told the outlet. ‘I couldn’t believe that was happening, that they would stop the National Anthem of all songs.’
Rasbach said the officer called the performance a ‘demonstration’ and said some were offended by the performance – although, he doubts that because ‘her time was consumed with us’ to hear what others were saying.
Pop-up performances are ‘not allowed in the US Capitol without the proper approval,’ a Capitol Police spokesperson told DailyMail.com on Saturday. However, they said the interference was ‘due to a miscommunication.’
‘The US Capitol Police were not aware that the Speaker’s Office had approved this performance,’ the spokesperson 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.’
The Rushingbrook Children’s Choir was singing inside the US Capitol on May 26 when a Capitol Police officer directed a congressional staffer to stop the show
Rasbach had sought permission from his South Carolina Representatives William Timmons and Joe Wilson, as well as Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy – all of whom provided documentation giving the group permission to perform, the director told the Daily Signal.
Prior to their performance, another staffer had stopped them from singing, but after getting in contact with higher ups to confirm their permission, allowed them to sing their five scheduled songs – The Star-Spangled Banner, America the Beautiful, My Country ‘Tis of Thee, I Bought Me a Cat, and Love Divine, All Loves Excelling.
After his group stopped singing, Rasbach said he approached the officer to ask her: ‘How do you think this is going to affect these children? Their first time visiting their Capitol and then they have this disappointment.’
She reportedly told them they ‘sounded beautiful’ but to go outside if they wanted to continue.
Rasbach said the officer called the performance a ‘demonstration’ and said some were offended by the performance
Pop-up performances are ‘not allowed in the US Capitol without the proper approval,’ a Capitol Police spokesperson told DailyMail.com on Saturday. However, they said the interference was ‘due to a miscommunication’
‘Children singing the national anthem in their Capitol is not a threat to anybody,’ the director told the outlet.
Timmons, Wilson, and McCarthy didn’t think so either, saying in a statement to the Daily Signal: ‘We recently learned that schoolchildren from South Carolina were interrupted while singing our National Anthem at the Capitol.
‘These children were welcomed by the Speaker’s Office to joyfully express their love of this nation while visiting the Capitol, and we are all very disappointed to learn their celebration was cut short. We are delighted that the People’s House has been reopened particularly for our children and we look forward to welcoming more Americans back to the halls of Congress.’
Marjorie Taylor Greene took to Twitter to criticize the police, writing: ‘Rushingbrook Children’s Choir were singing the National Anthem in the Capitol and were stopped by Capitol police. They were told that “certain Capitol police said it might offend someone/cause issues.”
‘The National Anthem sung by children is not offensive, it’s needed more.’
