U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn testified before the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection and said he was repeatedly called racial slurs by Trump supporters.
During Tuesday’s testimony, the officer said when he instructed the MAGA mob to leave the U.S. Capitol, they refused and said “President Trump invited us here. We’re here to stop the steal. Joe Biden is not the president, nobody voted for Joe Biden,” according to C-SPAN.
The officer told the committee that he responded and said that he voted for President Joe Biden and asked “does my vote not count? Am I nobody?” Dunn said he usually shies away from politics, but did not resist in this instance.
One woman outfitted in a pink MAGA shirt shouted “You hear that guys, this n***er voted for Joe Biden,” Dunn recalled, NPR reported.
That’s when the officer said a crowd of 20 people began to boo him and yell “f***ing n***er” which was something he had never experienced while wearing his uniform.
Dunn recounted conversations he had with other officers following the incident who said they shared a similar experience and were also called “n***er.”
He says to this day, he still feels the emotional effects of the Jan. 6 insurrection and has sought therapy in order to cope. He encouraged fellow officers to seek counseling as well.
“I am now receiving private therapy for the persistent emotional trauma of that day,” Dunn said. “I’ve also participated in many peer support programs with fellow law enforcement officers from around the United States.”
Dunn thanked the committee for investigating the ordeal and called capitol officers heroes for protecting democracy on Jan. 6 He also addressed the “terrorists” who stormed the U.S. Capitol.
“Democracy went on that night and still continues to exist today. Democracy is bigger than any one person and any one party. You all tried to disrupt democracy that day and you all failed,” Dunn said.
In his closing remarks, the officer addressed the committee and said that “We can never again allow democracy to be put in peri” and he gave a metaphor as to how he would like members of the committee to seek justice.
"If a hitman is hired and he kills somebody, the hitman goes to jail," Dunn said. "But not only does the hitman go to jail, but the person who hired them does. There was an attack carried out on Jan. 6, and a hitman sent them. I want you to get to the bottom of that."