Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) kicked off the first meeting of the House Judiciary Committee last week by cordially inviting the accused murderer to lead the Pledge of Allegiance.
Under new Republican leadership, the 118th Congress’s judiciary committee could choose to begin each hearing with a pledge — a rule amendment introduced by Gaetz, who said it would allow members to invite “inspirational constituents” to preside.
The first award goes to Corey Beekman, a retired National Guard member accused of killing a man in 2019 whose case has yet to go to trial.
Gaetz did not mention aspects of the guest’s background. Beekman led the pledge in military dress uniform on February 1.
“It is a special pleasure and honor to introduce committee staff Sgt. Corey Ryan Beekman, an American hero and mine constituent who lives in Pensacola, Florida,” Gaetz said in a video still available on C-SPAN. He played through Beekman’s life story. Born in Holland, Michigan, Gaetz said Beekman enlisted in the Michigan Army National Guard while still in high school before serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, eventually moving to Florida to be closer to family.
Beekman is also accused of shooting and killing 32-year-old William Buchanan at a home in northern Michigan in April 2019, between military service and a move to Florida.
A 32-year-old woman, Katlin Buck, was injured in the attack, local news reported. However, UpNorthLive noted that Buck’s two children were unharmed.
The pandemic disrupted the scheduled date for Beekman’s trial, and the charges were dropped after Buck refused to testify against him, the Mason County Press reported.
Beekman was released in September 2020 from the Mason County Jail, where he had been held since 2019, the outlet said.
Buchanan’s mother, Denita, told the Mason County Press that she believed her son went to the Beekman home to help Buck move out, leading to the shooting and then a 90-minute standoff with police.
Buchanan’s family told multiple news outlets that they were surprised to hear about Gaetz honoring Beekman.
“It’s like getting a dagger stuck in your heart again,” Denita Buchanan told The Daily Beast.
But Gaetz’s office has tried to correct that. The Buchanans said they received a U.S. flag that had flown over the Capitol from Gaetz’s office, along with a signed letter from the congressman offering condolences and an apology, which the family appreciated, The Daily Beast reported.
Gaetz told the outlet that Beekman had reached out to his office to ask for help and that no one in his office had considered running background checks on veterans in need.
Mason County Sheriff Kim Cole feels that not many people expect a quick internet search.
“There must be someone more deserving of representing our military veterans in the U.S. Capitol than Corey Beekman, the murderer,” Cole told the Mason County Press. “I am disappointed in Rep. Gaetz’s office. A simple Google search will show that Mr. Beekman killed people in rural Mason County.
The Daily Beast notes that clips of Beekman leading the Pledge of Allegiance that were previously posted to YouTube and Twitter by government accounts have since been removed.