A former Capitol Police officer, who was severely beaten and injured by protesters during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot, called out a GOP lawmaker and a far-right activist over their comments during a hearing on Thursday.
Texas lawmaker blames MPD officials for the Jan. 6 attack
Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, attempted to blame Michael Fanone and several other Metropolitan Police Department officials, rather than President Donald Trump, for their handling of rioters during the Capitol attack. His remarks occurred during former special prosecutor Jack Smith’s testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, CNN reported.
According to WUSA 9, Nehls said, “I’m a member of the new select committee to actually examine what happened that day, and I can tell you gentlemen, that the fault does not lie with Donald Trump. It lies with Yogananda Pittman and the U.S. Capitol leadership team. We know, we know they had the intelligence.”
CNN reported that Fanone coughed and loudly said, “F**k yourself,” as he looked on during Nehls’ remarks.
“There was going to be a high propensity for violence that day,” Nehls concluded.
Fanone sat in the audience with three other former MPD officers who were at the Capitol that day: Aquilino Gonell, Harry Dunn, and Daniel Hodges, according to CNN. Since the high-profile incident, all four of the men have been very open, criticizing Trump and others who tried to downplay what happened.
Fanone to a Jan. 6 supporter: ‘Traitor to this country’
During the hearing, another incident involving Fanone and Ivan Raiklin, a far-right conspiracy theorist and supporter of the Jan. 6 rioters, occurred, according to Mediaite. The now-viral footage, posted on X, formerly Twitter, shows both men exchanging words.
Fanone walked over to Raiklin and called him a “traitor to this country.”
The situation escalated as Raiklin, who filmed the confrontation, asked Fanone why he was being so “spasmodic,” per Mediaite.
Fanone attempted to respond, but was held back by several people, including Dunn. Raiklin made another comment about the former MPD officer and his behavior during a break in the Committee hearing.
“See how many people are restraining you?” Raiklin asked as others tried pulling Fanone away. “Look at me, totally in control over my mind and body.”
What did Fanone accuse Raiklin of?
The situation remained heated, and one Capitol officer had to step in and defuse the altercation between the two men.
“This guy’s threatened my family, threatened my children,” Fanone said as another officer stepped into the middle of the scene, per Mediaite and the video footage. “Threatened my — threatened to rape my children, you sick bastard! Rape my children!”
As Dunn walked Fanone back to his seat, another Capitol officer appeared, with Fanone saying, “Do not f**king touch me” after the quarrel.
While Raiklin insisted that he remained calm and professional during his interaction with Fanone, the former officer continued to tell him, “Go f**k yourself,” and that they were “mortal enemies,” Mediaite reported.