Select Committee Hears Testimony From Police Officers Who Defended Capitol During January 6th Riot

What’s the story?

• The House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol held its first hearing on Tuesday, which featured testimony from four law enforcement officers who were among those attempting to defend the Capitol against a pro-Trump mob that sought to block the certification of the Electoral College.
• The officers appeared in uniform and testified before the select committee in their personal capacity. You can watch the more than three hour hearing in its entirety here, and read excerpts of their testimony below:
• U.S. Capitol Police Sergeant Aquilino Gonnell, an immigrant from the Dominican Republic and U.S. Army veteran, testified: 

“When I was 25 years old, then a sergeant in the Army, I had deployed in Iraq in Operation Iraqi Freedom. From time to time I volunteered to travel on IED-infested roads to conduct supply missions for U.S. and Allied forces, and the local Iraqi population as well. But on January 6th, for the first time I was more afraid to work in the Capitol than I was during my entire deployment to Iraq. In Iraq, we expected armed violence because we were in a war zone. But nothing I experienced in the Army or as a law enforcement officer prepared me for what we confronted on January 6th. The verbal assaults, the disrespect we endured from the rioters were bad enough. I was falsely accused of abandoning my oath. Of choosing my paycheck over my loyalty to the U.S. Constitution, even as I defended the very democratic process that protected everyone in that hostile crowd. While I was at the lower west terrace of the Capitol, working with my fellow officers to prevent a breach and restore order, the rioters called traitor. A disgrace. And shouted that I, I an Army veteran and police officer, should be executed.”

• D.C. Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone testified about how he was assaulted by the mob and criticized those who have downplayed the events of January 6th:

“At some point during the fighting, I was dragged from the line of officers and into the crowd. I heard someone scream, ‘I got one!’ As I was swarmed by a violent mob, they ripped off my badge, stripped me of my radio, they seized ammunition that was secured to my body. They began to beat me with their fists and with what felt like hard metal objects. At one point, I came face-to-face with an attacker who repeatedly lunged for me and attempted to grab my firearm. I heard chanting from people in the crowd, ‘get his gun’ and ‘kill him with his own gun.’ I was aware enough to realize I was at risk of being stripped of and killed with my own firearm. I was electrocuted again, and again, and again with a taser…

I’ve been left with the psychological trauma and emotional anxiety of having survived such a horrific event. And my children continue to deal with the trauma of nearly losing their dad that day. What makes the struggle harder and more painful is to know that so many of my fellow citizens, including so many of the people I’ve put my life at risk to defend, are downplaying or outright denying what happened. I feel like I went to hell and back to protect them and the people in this room. But too many are now telling me that hell doesn’t exist, or that hell isn’t that bad. The indifference shown to my colleagues is disgraceful.” 

• D.C. Metropolitan Police Officer Daniel Hodges recounted how he was trapped between a door frame with the mob in front of him and a wall of officers in riot gear behind him:

“The mob of terrorists were coordinating their efforts now, shouting “heave, ho” as they synchronized pushing their way forward, crushing me further against the metal doorframe. The man in front of me grabbed my baton that I still held in my hands, and in my current state, I was unable to retain my weapon. He bashed me in the head and face with it, rupturing my lip, and adding additional injury to my skull. At this point, I knew I couldn’t sustain much more damage and remain upright. At best, I would collapse and be a liability to my colleagues. At worst, I would be dragged down to the crowd and lynched. Unable to move or otherwise signal the officers behind me that I needed to fall back, I did the only thing I could do, and screamed for help. Thankfully, my voice was heard over the cacophony of yells and blaring of alarms. The officer closest to me was able to extricate me from the position, and another helped me fall back to the building again.”

• U.S. Capitol Police Private First Class Harry Dunn, who is black, testified about the racial slurs hurled against him and other officers during the Capitol riot, then concluded his opening statement by encouraging fellow officers to join him in seeking counseling for the trauma caused by January 6th:

“I told them to just leave the Capitol, and in response they yelled, ‘No man, this is our house. President Trump invited us here. We’re here to stop the steal. Joe Biden is not the president, nobody voted for Joe Biden.’ I’m a law enforcement officer, and I do my best to keep politics out of my job. But in this circumstance, I responded, ‘I voted for Joe Biden, does my vote not count? Am I nobody?’ That prompted a torrent of racial epithets. One woman in a pink MAGA shirt yelled, ‘You hear that guys? This n----- voted for Joe Biden.’ In the crowd, perhaps about 20 people, joined in screaming, ‘Boo, f------ n-----!’ No one had ever, ever, called me a n----- while wearing the uniform of a Capitol Police officer...

More than six months later, January 6th still isn’t over for me. I’ve had to avail myself of multiple counseling sessions from the Capitol Police employee assistance program, and I’m now receiving private counseling therapy for the persistent emotional trauma of that day. I’ve also participated in many peer support programs with fellow law enforcement officers from around the United States. I know so many other officers continue to hurt, both physically and emotionally. I want to take this moment to speak to my fellow officers about the emotions they’re continuing to experience from the events of January 6th. There is absolutely nothing wrong with seeking professional counseling. What we went through that day was traumatic, and if you are hurting, please take advantage of the counseling services that are available to us. And I would also respectfully ask that this select committee review the services available to us and consider whether they are sufficient enough to meet our needs, especially with respect to the amount of leave we are allowed. In closing, we can never again allow democracy to be put in peril as it was on January 6th.” 

Background

• Over 140 law enforcement officers were injured during the Capitol riot when they confronted a mob that stormed the Capitol to interrupt the certification of the Electoral College vote with the goal of pressuring Congress and Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the election results in favor of President Donald Trump, who had repeatedly made false claims that the election was stolen prior to the certification. 
• Following the riot, two police officers who responded to events that day committed suicide. Capitol Police Officer Howard Liebengood took his own life three days after the riot. D.C. Metropolitan Police Officer Jeffrey Smith died by suicide nine days after the Capitol riot.
• Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick died the day after the riot. Initially, USCP stated that he died of injuries sustained engaging with protesters who were reported to have bludgeoned him with a fire extinguisher. An autopsy revealed that he died of natural causes, having suffered a pair of strokes and no blunt force trauma. Sicknick was attacked with mace during the riot, and the two rioters responsible have been arrested and charged with assault and numerous other crimes.
• Over 500 people have been arrested and charged with crimes stemming from the Capitol riot according to Attorney General Merrick Garland. 
• Two Senate committees released a bipartisan report in June, which found numerous intelligence failures and lax security preparation contributed to the Capitol riot.

RELATED READING

• Watch & Comment: January 6th Select Committee Holds First Hearing (7/27)
• Speaker Pelosi Adds Adam Kinzinger to January 6th Select Committee (7/26)
• Pelosi Rejects Two of McCarthy’s Picks for January 6th Select Committee (7/21)
• McCarthy Announces GOP Picks for January 6th Select Committee (7/19)
• Pelosi Picks Democrats & Liz Cheney for January 6th Select Committee (7/1)
• House Resolution Forming January 6th Select Committee (Enacted 6/30) 
• Senate Committees Release Bipartisan Report Detailing Intelligence & Security Failures Related to January 6th Capitol Riot (6/8)

— Eric Revell

(Photo Credit: Tyler Merbler via Flickr / Creative Commons)