DC cop who was 'tortured' by Capitol rioters confronts Kevin McCarthy and demands he denounce Republicans' 'disgusting' remarks downplaying the siege
A Washington D.C. police officer who was injured in the Capitol riot confronted House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy in a meeting and demanded he denounce remarks from his fellow Republicans downplaying the violence in the siege.
Michael Fanone, an officer with the Metropolitan Police Department, met with McCarthy on Friday after he had said for weeks he had wanted to talk with the House's top Republican.
Fanone told CBS News this week that he was forced to the ground and suffered a mild heart attack and a brain injury in the attack, which was caught on his body camera.
'All holy hell broke loose. The next thing you know, we were just in a hand-to-hand just battle,' Fanone said.
'I was tortured. I was beaten. I was, you know, struck with a taser numerous times at the base of my skull. And I posed no threat.'
McCarthy, who has opposed the formation of a bipartisan commission to investigate the attack, has remained loyal to former President Donald Trump whose supporters violently interrupted the certification of Joe Biden's election victory on January 6.
Michael Fanone, an officer with the Metropolitan Police Department, finally met with McCarthy on Friday after he said for weeks he had wanted to talk with him
Fanone was joined in the meeting by Gladys Sicknick, mother of Brian Sicknick, and Harry Dunn - a U.S. Capitol Police officer who also faced the rioters
Fanone said he demanded that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy denounce remarks from his fellow Republicans downplaying the violence in the siege
McCarthy, who has opposed the formation of a bipartisan commission to investigate the attack, has remained loyal to former President Donald Trump
Fanone told reporters after the meeting that he asked McCarthy to denounce 21 House Republicans who recently voted against giving police officers a congressional medal of honor for defending the Capitol.
'I went there with specific requests. I asked Kevin to denounce the 21 House Republicans that voted against the gold medal bill, which would recognize and honor my coworkers and colleagues who fought to secure the capitol on January 6,' Fanone said, according to CNN.
'I also asked him to denounce Andrew Clyde’s statements regarding January 6 – specifically that it was something of a normal tour day here at the Capitol.'
He added: 'I found those remarks to be disgusting. I also asked him to denounce the baseless theory that the FBI was behind the January 6 insurrection.'
Georgia Rep. Andrew Clyde had compared video of the rioters to a 'tourist visit.'
'Watching the TV footage of those who entered the Capitol and walked through Statuary Hall showed people in an orderly fashion staying between the stanchions and ropes, taking videos and pictures,' Clyde had said last month, according to the Washington Post.
'You know, if you didn't know the TV footage was a video from January the 6th, you would actually think it was a normal tourist visit.'
McCarthy told Fanone he would 'address it in a personal level with some of those members,' the police officer said.
Pro-Trump protesters clash with D.C. police officer Michael Fanone during the riot at the Capitol
Michael Fanone, a Metropolitan Police Department officer who was beaten during the January 6 attack on the Capitol, leaves a meeting with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy
Fanone said the response from McCarthy, whose office did not comment on the meeting, was not sufficient and that, as a cop who served on January 6, it was 'not what I want to hear.'
He said he found Clyde's comments 'disgusting.'
'It's important to hear those denouncements publicly,' Fanone said.
Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn, who was also among the officers who responded to the rioting, joined Fanone and McCarthy for the meeting.
Gladys Sicknick, the mother of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, was also expected to be in the meeting but did not speak to reporters afterward.
Brian Sicknick collapsed and died after engaging with the mob, and a medical examiner later ruled that he died of natural causes.
President Donald Trump speaks to supporters before they rioted at the United States Capitol
Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as people try to storm the U.S. Capitol in Washington DC on January 6
Landon Kenneth Copeland, 33, allegedly shoved another rioter into an officer which caused the cop to fall to the ground – resulting in officers equipped with riot gear to push forward against the crowd
Copeland then allegedly grabbed one of their riot shields and pushed against the police line, grabbing an officer’s jacket and shoving them
Supporters of President Trump who were trying to overthrow the results of the 2020 presidential election clash with police as the crowd storms the US Capitol
The largest number of people charged in relation to the deadly riot come from Texas, Pennsylvania, and Florida, in that order
Supporters of then-President Donald Trump try to break through a police barrier at the Capitol in Washington
The meeting comes as many Republicans have made clear that they want to move on from the January 6 attack - frustrating some law enforcement officers who were brutally beaten by the rioters as they pushed past them and broke into the building.
Senate Republicans have blocked an independent, bipartisan investigation of the attack and some House members are increasingly downplaying the insurrection.
Dunn said afterward that it was an 'emotional meeting' but declined to go into detail and thanked McCarthy for his time.
'He was receptive, and I think ultimately, we have the same goal. It´s just going to take a little time getting there, I guess,' Dunn said.
The goal, Dunn said, is 'accountability, justice for everybody that was involved.'
As the officers and family members push for answers, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Thursday that she is creating a special committee to investigate the attack.
The FBI has been looking for one man, #91, who was pictured with a black and gold arm band, the signature colors of the Proud Boys
Pelosi said a partisan-led probe was the only option left after the Senate Republicans blocked the bi-partisan commission.
'Jan. 6 was a day of darkness for our country,' Pelosi told reporters on Thursday, according to The New York Times.
'Our temple of democracy was attacked by insurrectionists. The gleeful desecration of the Capitol resulted in multiple deaths, physical harm to over 140 members of law enforcement and terror and trauma among staff, workers and members.'
She added: 'It is imperative that we seek the truth. It is clear the Republicans are afraid of the truth.'
Fanone, Dunn and Gladys Sicknick have all aggressively lobbied for the independent panel - which would be modeled after a similar panel that investigated the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks - and they visited the offices of several Republican senators before the vote last month.
Seven Republican senators voted with Democrats to consider the legislation that would form the bipartisan panel, but it still fell short of the 60 votes needed to move forward.
Police were seen backing away from the cloud of fire extinguishing retardant sprayed at them
Fanone was one of many Metropolitan Police officers who was called in to help deal with the increasingly chaotic scene as delays kept National Guard away. He has described being dragged down the Capitol steps by rioters who shocked him with a stun gun and beat him.
Dunn, a Capitol Police officer, has similarly described fighting the rioters in hand-to-hand combat and being the target of racial slurs as he tried to hold them back.
Both officers said they discussed the select committee with McCarthy, who said earlier Friday that he couldn't comment on it because he hadn't talked to Pelosi.
Fanone said he asked for a commitment not to put 'the wrong people' on the panel and that McCarthy said he would take it seriously.
Dunn confirmed that account, saying McCarthy 'committed to us to taking it serious.'
In addition to Clyde, other Republicans have increasingly made statements defending the rioters and have spread conspiracy theories about what happened that day.
Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar has repeatedly insisted that a Trump supporter who was shot and killed that day while trying to break into the House chamber was 'executed.'
Others have suggested that the Justice Department should not be charging the insurrectionists with crimes.
And last week, the 21 Republicans voted against giving medals of honor to the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police to thank them for their service on Jan. 6. Dozens of those officers suffered major injuries, including chemical burns, brain injuries and broken bones. McCarthy voted for the measure.
Seven people died during and after the rioting, including Ashli Babbitt, the woman who was shot and killed, and three other Trump supporters who died of medical emergencies.
In addition to Sicknick, two police officers died by suicide in the days that followed.
Fanone made clear that the last several months have taken a toll. He said he was 'mentally and physically exhausted' and that he felt isolated.
'This experience is not something that I enjoy doing,' he said. 'I don´t want to be up here on Capitol Hill. I want to be with my daughters. But I see this as an extension of my service on Jan. 6th.'
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