Former Capitol security chief found dead at home

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Former Capitol security chief found dead at home

Two sources familiar with the matter tell NBC News that Michael Stenger, the former Senate sergeant-at-arms who oversaw Senate security during the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, was found dead on Monday morning.

The medical examiner in Virginia did not handle his death, a spokesman said, indicating that it was not considered suspicious.

Stenger, who was nominated as a sergeant-at-arms in 2018, resigned on the Capitol riot after he faced backlash from lawmakers over his handling of security on the 6th.

Stenger's cause of death is not yet known. The U.S. Capitol Police didn't want to say anything.

In the wake of Jan. 6, Stenger, as well as former House Sergeant-at-Arms Paul Irving and former Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund came under fire for security failures at the Capitol. Despite would-be rioters planning to attack the building online in the weeks leading up to the attack, officials blamed lack of intelligence.

On Jan. 7, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who nominated Stenger to his position in 2018, said he had asked for and received Stenger's resignation. Sund and Irving resigned that day.

Stenger spent much of his career working for the U.S. Secret Service before joining the Senate in 2011 as an assistant sergeant-at-arms. He served in the Marine Corps, where he earned the rank of captain.