“This is how I am going to die and defend this entrance,” Congressional Police Sergeant Aquilino Goner recalled his thoughts at the time, testifying at the emotional hearing of the Congressional Panel investigating the violence on Tuesday. Congressional uprising on January 6.
Gonell told House investigators that when he tried to stop the mob and protect the Capitol and legislators, he would feel he was losing oxygen because he was crushed by supporters of then-President Donald Trump.
He and three other police officers shared their descriptions of the attack, sometimes wiping away tears, and sometimes angrily reprimanding Republicans who resisted the investigation and accepted Trump’s downplay of the violence that day.
Six months after the uprising, as no action has been taken to enhance the security of the Capitol or provide a complete explanation of the problem, the new team began its investigation by protecting their law enforcement personnel. In addition to the graphical video of the hand-to-hand combat, the police officers also described how they were beaten while preventing the mob from entering the doorway and interrupting the certification of the Democratic President Joe Biden’s victory.
Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone, who rushed to the scene, told the committee and millions of people to watch the news report that he was “caught, beaten, beaten, and called a traitor to my country.” The attack on him until he Said he stopped only when he had children, which caused him to have a heart attack.
Daniel Hodges is also a police officer in Washington, DC. He said he remembers when the mob pressed him between two doors and slammed him on the head with his weapon, he foamed at the mouth and screamed for help. . He said, “There is no doubt” that the mob was meant to kill members of Congress.
Congressional police officer Harry Dunn said a group of thugs, about 20 people, yelled at him when he tried to prevent them from breaking into the House of Representatives-he said he had never experienced racial insults while wearing uniforms. At the end of the day, he sat sobbing in the rotunda of the Capitol.
“I became very emotional and started yelling,'(Expletive) How can something like this happen?” Dunn testified. “Is this America?”
“My blood is red,” he said. “I am an American citizen. I am a policeman. I am a sheriff.”
Since the rebellion, tensions on Capitol Hill have only worsened. Many Republicans have played down or completely denied the violence that occurred and condemned the Democratic-led investigation as politically motivated. Democrats hope to win public support for the investigation by reminding people of how cruel the investigation is and how law enforcement officers who have sworn to protect the Capitol were seriously injured at the hands of thugs.
All officials expressed their betrayal to the Republicans who rejected the violence.
“I think I went to hell and then came back to protect them and the people in this room,” Fanone testified, punching the table in front of him with his fist. “Too many people now tell me that hell does not exist, or that hell is actually not that bad. The indifference to my colleagues is shameful.”
Witnesses described in detail the horror of their attack and the lasting mental and physical trauma six months after that. At the end of the hearing, the witnesses pleaded with lawmakers to learn more about how it happened.
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The legislators of the committee were also emotional when they played the violent video and repeatedly thanked the police for protecting them. Rep. Stephanie Murphy, a Florida Democrat, told them that she was hiding near the entrance they were defending that day, and said that “the main reason why the mob did not harm any congressman is because they did not meet any congressman.”
Representative Adam Kinsinger of Illinois, one of the two Republicans in the panel, shed tears during his questioning. He said he didn’t expect to become so emotional.
“You are all talking about the impact you have to deal with, you are talking about the impact that day,” Kinsinger told the police officer. “But you won. You held it.”
Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming, another Republican on the group, expressed “deep gratitude to you for what you did to save us” and accepted her decision to be appointed by Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi defend.
“For everyone we serve in Congress, every elected official in this great country, in fact, for every American, the question is: Will we uphold the rule of law, respect the rulings of our courts, and maintain peace? Power transfer?”
“Or will we be blinded by partisan prejudice to abandon the miracle of America?”
House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy withdrew the participation of the Republicans he appointed last week after Pelosi rejected two of the Republicans. She said that they supported Trump’s “antics” and his lies about winning the election, and that they are not suitable for serious investigations.
Since the rebellion, McCarthy has maintained close contact with Trump and threatened to cancel the committee tasks of any Republicans who participated in the panel meeting on January 6. He called Cheney and Kinsinger “Pelosi Republicans.”
On Tuesday, McCarthy again called the process “fake.” He told reporters that Pelosi’s role in the security failure that day should be investigated, but he ignored the question about Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who has the same authority over Congressional police and Congressional security officials. .
After the hearing, Democratic Senator Bennie Thompson said that the investigation may proceed urgently and a subpoena will be received “soon.” The investigation is expected to examine not only Trump’s role in the rebellion, but also groups involved in coordinating the rebellion, including white supremacists.
The investigation will also investigate the safety issues that led to hundreds of people breaking into the Capitol and causing lawmakers to flee for their lives. Some intruders called for the killing of Pelosi and Vice President Mike Pence, who hid only a few steps away from the mob.
Congress police have repeatedly stated that they are in trouble due to lack of funds. Senate leaders said on Tuesday that they have reached an agreement on a $2.1 billion emergency spending bill that can provide more resources.
Soon after the uprising, most Republicans condemned the violent thugs, and many criticized Trump himself. He told his supporters to “fight like hell” to overthrow his defeat. But in recent months and weeks, many people’s voices have eased.
Some people went further. Georgia Rep. Andrew Clyde said the video of the rioters looked like “a normal tourist visit.” Arizona Rep. Paul Gosal repeatedly said that a woman was caught by the police while trying to break through. Shot and entered the House of Representatives and was “executed.”
© 2021 Canadian Press
