[House Hearing, 117 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
THE LAW ENFORCEMENT EXPERIENCE ON
JANUARY 6TH
=======================================================================
HEARING
BEFORE THE
SELECT COMMITTEE TO
INVESTIGATE THE JANUARY 6TH
ATTACK ON THE
UNITED STATES CAPITOL
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
JULY 27, 2021
__________
Serial No. 117-1
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Printed for the use of the Select Committee to Investigate the January
6th Attack on the United States Capitol
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.govinfo.gov
__________
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
45-472 PDF WASHINGTON : 2022
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SELECT COMMITTEE TO INVESTIGATE THE JANUARY 6TH ATTACK ON THE UNITED
STATES CAPITOL
Bennie G. Thompson, Mississippi, Chairman
Zoe Lofgren, California
Adam B. Schiff, California
Pete Aguilar, California
Liz Cheney, Wyoming
Stephanie N. Murphy, Florida
Jamie Raskin, Maryland
Elaine G. Luria, Virginia
Adam Kinzinger, Illinois
COMMITTEE STAFF
David B. Buckley, Staff Director
Kristin L. Amerling, Deputy Staff Director and Chief Counsel
Hope Goins, Counsel to the Chairman
Timothy R. Mulvey, Communications Director
Candyce D. Phoenix, Senior Counsel and Senior Advisor
C O N T E N T S
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Page
Statements
The Honorable Bennie G. Thompson, a Representative in Congress
From the State of Mississippi, and Chairman, Select Committee
to Investigate the January 6th Attack On the United States
Capitol........................................................ 1
The Honorable Liz Cheney, a Representative in Congress From the
State of Wyoming............................................... 4
Witnesses
Mr. Aquilino A. Gonell, Sergeant, U.S. Capitol Police............ 6
Mr. Michael Fanone, Officer, Metropolitan Police Department...... 10
Mr. Daniel Hodges, Officer, Metropolitan Police Department....... 14
Mr. Harry A. Dunn, Private First Class, U.S. Capitol Police...... 20
For the Record
The Honorable Liz Cheney, a Representative in Congress From the
State of Wyoming:
Text........................................................... 29
Mr. Aquilino A. Gonell, Sergeant, U.S. Capitol Police:
Prepared Statement............................................. 55
Mr. Michael Fanone, Officer, Metropolitan Police Department:
Prepared Statement............................................. 57
Mr. Daniel Hodges, Officer, Metropolitan Police Department:
Prepared Statement............................................. 59
Mr. Harry A. Dunn, Private First Class, U.S. Capitol Police:
Prepared Statement............................................. 63
THE LAW ENFORCEMENT EXPERIENCE ON JANUARY 6TH
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Tuesday, July 27, 2021
U.S. House of Representatives,
Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on
the United States Capitol,
Washington, DC.
The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 9:31 a.m., in
Room 310, Cannon House Office Building, Hon. Bennie G. Thompson
[Chairman of the Committee] presiding.
Present: Representatives Thompson, Lofgren, Schiff,
Aguilar, Cheney, Murphy, Raskin, Luria, and Kinzinger.
Chairman Thompson. A quorum being present, the Select
Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United
States Capitol will be in order.
The Select Committee is meeting today to receive testimony
on ``The Law Enforcement Experience on January 6th.''
Without objection, the Chair is authorized to declare the
Committee in recess at any time.
I now recognize myself for an opening statement.
Let me say a few words at the outset about this Committee's
work and how, as Chairman, I plan to run things. We're going to
be guided solely by the facts: the facts of what happened on
January 6th, the run-up to that tragic day, and what has taken
place since. That's what we're charged to do by House
Resolution 503.
There is no place for politics or partisanship in this
investigation. Our only charge is to follow the facts where
they lead us. While we have a lot to uncover, there are a few
things we already know.
We know that the insurrection on January 6th was a violent
attack that involved vicious assaults on law enforcement. We
know there is evidence of a coordinated, planned attack. We
know that men and women who stormed the Capitol wanted to
derail the peaceful transfer of power in this country. We know
that 7 people lost their lives; that more than 140 police
officers suffered injuries. We know that efforts to subvert our
democracy are on-going. A major part of the Select Committee's
work will be to find ways to eliminate that threat.
We also know that the rioters came dangerously close to
succeeding. If not for the heroism of the United States Capitol
Police and the Metropolitan Police Department, many more lives
might have been lost and the rioters could have accomplished
what they set out to do: Upend American democracy.
It's an honor to have four of these heroes sitting before
us today. We welcome them for appearing here and, more
importantly, for your heroism on January 6th. You have the
gratitude of this Committee and this country.
You held the line that day. I can't overstate what was on
the line: our democracy. You held the line.
We're going to revisit some of those moments today, and it
won't be easy, but history will remember your names and your
actions.
It's important to think about history as this Committee
starts its work and as we hear from these courageous men and to
get answers for the American people; because we need to
understand our history if we want to understand the
significance of what happened on January 6th and our role as
Members of the people's House.
I'm talking about the peaceful transfer of power. Two
hundred twenty years ago, in 1801, the House of Representatives
did one of its jobs laid out in the Constitution. After a
deadlock in the electoral college, this body cast 36 ballots
and ultimately settled the contest for President of the United
States. What followed was the first peaceful transfer of power
in our country's history.
We know that, since then, our history has been far from
perfect. We've been torn apart and brought back together. We've
struggled across generations to make our country's great vision
a reality for all Americans. We've won victories, and we've
suffered failures, but the peaceful transfer of power has stood
as the pillar of our democracy.
It's one of those things we rely on, a safeguard that we
hold close, because, as heated and angry and divided as we may
be, whatever victories we celebrate or upheavals we endure, we
can rest easy knowing that, when the moment comes, our system
guarantees that one party will hand the reins to another if
that's the will of the people.
While our institution's endured and while Joe Biden is the
legitimately elected President of the United States, a peaceful
transfer of power didn't happen this year. It did not happen.
Let that sink in. Think about it.
A violent mob was pointed toward the Capitol and told to
win a ``trial by combat''. Some descended on this city with
clear plans to disrupt our democracy. One rioter said that they
weren't there to commit violence but that--I'm quoting--``We're
just there to overthrow the Government.''
I want to repeat that. I urge everyone to listen to those
words and think about what they mean. ``We were just there to
overthrow the Government.''
They marched on the Capitol with the clear intentions of
stopping the certification of the election. When they
encountered the police sworn to keep us safe, they went on
their attack with bear spray, knives, tasers, hockey sticks,
even flagpoles fashioned into clubs with the American flag
still attached.
Those rioters breached the Capitol. They smashed windows,
scaled walls, broke down doors, and invaded the Halls of
Congress. It was a scene of violence in the citadel of our
democracy not seen since 1814 when British soldiers sacked the
building.
They raced through the hallways chanting, ``Hang Mike
Pence!'' ``Where is Nancy?''
They stormed onto the Senate floor because they wanted to
stop the Senate from certifying the election. The rioters tried
to take over the House floor for the same reason.
Thankfully, some astute, young staff members had the
presence of mind to grab the physical electoral ballots for
safekeeping.
These rioters were organized. They were ready for a fight,
and they came close to succeeding. It's frightening to think
about how close we were: a few inches of wood and glass, an
officer turning left instead of turning right. But just
describing that attack doesn't come close to capturing what
actually took place that day.
So, we're going to see some of what our witnesses saw on
January 6th. Let's see the video, please, but please be advised
that it contains graphic images and strong language, which many
may find disturbing.
Crowd. [unintelligible]
Stop the Steal Zello Channel. Hey brother, we're boots on the
ground here. We're moving on the Capitol now. I'll give you a boots-on-
the-ground update here in a few.
Police Radio Transmission. Multiple Capitol injuries. Multiple
Capitol injuries.
Crowd. [unintelligible]
Voice. Take the building! Take the building!
Voice. Fuck you, police!
Police Radio Transmission. 50 to JOCC, we're still taking metal,
sharpened objects, missiles, to include bottles and rocks and hand-
thrown chemical-grade fireworks.
Voice. There's an officer in the crowd.
Crowd. [unintelligible]
Police Radio Transmission. . . . this is now effectively a riot.
Police Radio Transmission. 1349 hours, declaring it a riot.
Stop the Steal Zello Channel. OK, guys, apparently the tip of the
spear has entered the Capitol Building.
Crowd. [unintelligible]
Police Radio Transmission. [redacted], if I give this up, they're
going to have direct access. At least the scaffold we can defend. We've
got to hold what we have.
Voice. Take your pins off.
Voice. What the fuck?
Voice. Take your pins off.
Crowd. [redacted] This is our house! [redacted]
Voice. This is a corrupt government. [unintelligible]
Voice. Is this the Senate? Where the fuck are they?
Police Radio Transmission. Cruiser 50, we're flanked. 10-33. I
repeat, 10-33, West Front of the Capitol. We have been flanked, and
we've lost the line.
Crowd. [unintelligible]
Voice. They're coming, baby! They're coming, baby!
Voice. Motherfuckers!
Voice. They're spraying gas.
Voice. Lock the shields. Lock them together. Lock them together.
Voice. We need fresh patriots to the front!
Voice. Back up if you need a break. Come on.
Voice. He needs a break.
Voice. Jimmy, get them to the back. Get them to the back. Get them
to the back. Let's get some fresh faces up front.
Crowd. [unintelligible]
Voice. Push!
Voice. All right. Let me out!
Voice. Pull them out! Pull them out! Pull them out!
Voice. Can I speak to Pelosi? Yeah? We're coming, bitch! Oh, Mike
Pence? We're coming for you too, you fucking traitor!
Crowd. Hang Mike Pence! Hang Mike Pence! Hang Mike Pence!
Stop the Steal Zello Channel. They've got the gallows set up
outside the Capitol Building. It's time to start fucking using them.
Voice. Start making a list, put all those names down, and we start
hunting them down one-by-one.
Voice. Traitors get guillotine!
Voice. Mobilize in your own cities, in your own counties, storm
your own capitol buildings, and take down every one of these corrupt
motherfuckers!
Voice. That's what we fucking need to have: 30,000 guns up here.
Voice. Next trip.
Chairman Thompson. He'll be back, he warns us. It's just
chilling.
I thank God our democracy and our Republic withstood this
assault, but that man's warning reminds us that this threat
hasn't gone away. It looms over our democracy like a dark
cloud.
Some people are trying to deny what happened, to whitewash
it, to turn the insurrectionists into martyrs. But the whole
world saw the reality of what happened on January 6th: the
hangman's gallows sitting out there on our Nation's Mall, the
flag of that first failed and disgraced rebellion against our
Union being paraded through the Capitol, the hatred, the
bigotry, the violence, and all of it for a vile, vile lie.
Let's be clear. The rioters who tried to rob us of our
democracy were propelled here by a lie.
As Chairman of this Committee, I will not give that lie any
fertile ground. We need to understand how and why the Big Lie
festered. We need to know minute-by-minute how January 6th
unfolded. We need to understand how the rotten lie behind
January 6th has continued to spread and feed the forces that
would undermine American democracy.
We need to figure out how to fix the damage. It won't be
easy, but I have tremendous confidence in the colleagues
sitting to my left and right. These are men and women of
courage and character.
We did not ask for this, but the House of Representatives
did its job to give this country its first peaceful transfer of
power, and we'll do our job now to make sure the peaceful
transfer of power remains a pillar of our democracy. We cannot
allow ourselves to be undone by liars and cheaters. This is the
United States of America.
My distinguished colleague from Wyoming, Ms. Cheney, is not
the Ranking Member of the Select Committee, but because this
investigation is bipartisan, it's important that we hear
Republican voices as well.
I now recognize Representative Cheney for an opening
statement.
Ms. Cheney. Thank you very much, Chairman Thompson. Thank
you to all my colleagues on this Committee, and thank you to
each of the witnesses appearing before us today.
It is because of you: You held the line. You defended all
of us. You defended the Capitol, and you defended the
Constitution and our Republic, and every American owes you our
undying gratitude.
Every American, I hope, will be able to hear your testimony
today and will watch the videos. The videos show the
unbelievable violence and the inexcusable and intolerable
cruelty that you all faced, and people need to know the truth.
I want to begin by reflecting briefly on the investigation
that we're launching today. Every one of us here on the dais
voted for and would have preferred that these matters be
investigated by an independent, nonpartisan commission composed
of 5 prominent Americans selected by each party and modeled on
the 9/11 Commission.
Although such a commission was opposed by my own leadership
in the House, it overwhelmingly passed with the support of 35
Republican Members. It was defeated by Republicans in the
Senate. That leaves us where we are today.
We cannot leave the violence of January 6th and its causes
uninvestigated. The American people deserve the full and open
testimony of every person with knowledge of the planning and
preparation for January 6th. We must know what happened here at
the Capitol.
We must also know what happened every minute of that day in
the White House: every phone call, every conversation, every
meeting leading up to, during, and after the attack. Honorable
men and women have an obligation to step forward.
If those responsible are not held accountable, and if
Congress does not act responsibly, this will remain a cancer on
our Constitutional Republic, undermining the peaceful transfer
of power at the heart of our democratic system. We will face
the threat of more violence in the months to come and another
January 6th every 4 years.
I have been a conservative Republican since 1984 when I
first voted for Ronald Reagan. I have disagreed sharply on
policy and politics with almost every Democratic Member of this
Committee. But, in the end, we are one Nation under God.
The Framers of our Constitution recognized the danger of
the vicious factionalism of partisan politics, and they knew
that our daily arguments could become so fierce that we might
lose track of our most important obligation: to defend the rule
of law and the freedom of all Americans.
That is why our Framers compelled each of us to swear a
solemn oath to preserve and protect the Constitution. When a
threat to our Constitutional order arises, as it has here, we
are obligated to rise above politics. This investigation must
be nonpartisan.
While we begin today by taking the public testimony of
these four heroic men, we must also realize that the task of
this Committee will require persistence. We must issue and
enforce subpoenas promptly. We must get to objective truth. We
must overcome the many efforts we are already seeing to cover
up and obscure the facts.
On January 6th and in the days thereafter, almost all
Members of my party recognized the events of that day for what
they actually were. One Republican, for example, said, ``What
is happening at the U.S. Capitol right now is unacceptable and
un-American. Those participating in lawlessness and violence
must be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the
law.''
No Member of Congress should now attempt to defend the
indefensible, obstruct this investigation, or whitewash what
happened that day. We must act with honor and duty and in the
interest of our Nation.
America is great because we preserve our democratic
institutions at all costs. Until January 6th, we were proof
positive for the world that a Nation conceived in liberty could
long endure. But now January 6th threatens our most sacred
legacy.
The question for every one of us who serves in Congress,
for every elected official across this great Nation, indeed for
every American, is this: Will we adhere to the rule of law?
Will we respect the rulings of our courts? Will we preserve the
peaceful transition of power? Or will we be so blinded by
partisanship that we throw away the miracle of America? Do we
hate our political adversaries more than we love our country
and revere our Constitution?
I pray that that is not the case. I pray that we all
remember our children are watching. As we carry out this solemn
and sacred duty entrusted to us, our children will know who
stood for truth, and they will inherit the Nation we hand to
them--a republic, if we can keep it.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.
Chairman Thompson. Thank you, Representative Cheney.
I will now introduce our witnesses.
We're joined today by Sergeant Aquilino Gonell of the
United States Capitol Police. He's a 15-year veteran of the
Capitol Police. He's assigned to a First Responder Unit in the
United States Capitol Police's Uniformed Services Bureau.
Before joining the Capitol Police, Sergeant Gonell served 8
years in the United States Army and spent 545 days in Iraq,
where his base was under constant mortar, rocket, and indirect
fire by insurgents. He has received multiple awards and
commendations for his military service.
We're also joined by Officer Michael Fanone of the
Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, DC. Officer
Fanone began his law enforcement career with the United States
Capitol Police shortly after the terrorist attacks of 9/11.
For nearly 20 years, Officer Fanone has served the citizens
of the District of Columbia in special units focusing on
narcotics investigations and violent criminals.
Officer Daniel Hodges is a member of Civil Disturbance Unit
42 in the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, where his
responsibilities include riot response.
Prior to his service on the Metropolitan Police Department,
he served 6 years in the 116th Infantry Regiment, 3d Battalion,
as an indirect fire infantryman.
U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn is a 13-year veteran
of the United States Capitol Police and a member of its First
Responder Unit. His responsibilities include ensuring the
integrity of the perimeter around the Capitol Building. Officer
Dunn has been among the first Capitol Police Officers to
describe what happened to law enforcement on January 6th.
I will now swear in our witnesses. The witnesses will
please rise and raise their right hands.
[Witnesses sworn.]
Chairman Thompson. Thank you. You may be seated.
Let the record reflect the witnesses answered in the
affirmative.
Without objection, the witnesses' full statements will be
included in the record.
I now recognize Sergeant Gonell to summarize his testimony.
Sergeant Gonell. \1\ Good morning, everybody.
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\1\ Sergeant Gonell's prepared statement is included in the
Appendix beginning on p. 55.
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Chairman Thompson. Good morning.
Sergeant Gonell. Chairman Thompson, Members of the Select
Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify regarding
the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
It is with honor and heavy heart that I come before you to
tell you my story, from a painful, first-hand experience what
happened that terrible day at the Capitol.
I'm providing this testimony solely in my personal capacity
and not as a representative of the U.S. Capitol Police. It is
imperative that the events of January 6th are fully
investigated in the Congress and the American people know the
truth of what actually occurred and that all those responsible
are held accountable, particularly to ensure that horrific and
shameful event in our history never repeats itself. I applaud
you for pursuing this objective.
Even though there is overwhelming evidence to the contrary,
including hours and hours of videos and photographic coverage,
there is a continued, shocking attempt to ignore or try to
destroy the truth of what truly happened that day and to
whitewash the facts into something other than what they
unmistakenly reveal: an attack on our democracy by violent
domestic extremists and a stain on our history and our moral
standing here, home, and abroad.
As a child in the Dominican Republic, I looked up to the
United States as the land of opportunity and a place to better
myself. From the moment I landed at JFK in 1992, I have tried
to pursue that goal. Thankfully, I achieved that goal on many
levels. I was the first in my family to graduate college, join
the Army, and become a police officer.
On July 23, 1999, the day before my 21st birthday, I raised
my hand and swore to protect the Constitution of the United
States because this country gave me an opportunity to become
anything that I wanted.
At that time, I already started basic training with the
Army Reserves. In fact, I raised my hand several times in
ceremonies to pledge my commitment to defend and protect the
Constitution of the United States: when I joined the Army
Reserves; when I was promoted to sergeant while in the Army;
during my naturalization ceremony; my reenlistment in the Army;
when I joined the United States Capitol Police; and, last, when
I was promoted to sergeant 3 years ago.
I have always taken my oath seriously. On January 6, 2021,
I fulfilled my oath once more, this time to defend the United
States Capitol and Members of Congress carrying out their
Constitutional duties to certify the results of the November
2020 Presidential election.
To be honest, I did not recognize my fellow citizens who
stormed the Capitol on January 6th or the United States that
they claimed to represent. When I was 25 years old and then a
sergeant in the Army, I had deployed to Iraq for 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 local Iraqi population as well. But, on
January 6th, for the first time, I was more afraid to work at
the Capitol than my entire deployment to Iraq.
In Iraq, we expected armed violence because we were in a
war zone, but nothing in my experience in the Army or as a law
enforcement officer prepared me for what we confronted on
January 6th. The verbal assaults and disrespect we endured from
the rioters were bad enough. I was falsely accused of betraying
my oath, of choosing my paycheck--choosing my paycheck--over my
loyalty to the U.S. Constitution, even as I defended the very
democratic process that protected everyone in the hostile
crowd.
While I was at the Lower West Terrace of the Capitol
working with my fellow officers to prevent the breach and
restore order, the rioters called me a traitor, a disgrace, and
shouted that I--I, an Army veteran and a police officer--should
be executed.
Some of the rioters had the audacity to tell me there was
nothing personal, that they will go through me, through us
police officers to achieve their goal, as they were breaking
metal barriers to use as weapons against us.
Or they used more menacing language: ``If you shoot us, we
all have weapons. We will shoot back.'' Or, ``We'll get our
guns. We outnumber you.'' They said, ``Join us.''
I heard specific threats to the lives of Speaker Nancy
Pelosi and then also Vice President Mike Pence. But the
physical violence we experienced was horrific and devastating.
My fellow officers and I were punched, kicked, shoved, sprayed
with chemical irritants, and even blinded with eye-damaging
lasers by a violent mob who apparently saw us law enforcement
officers, ironically dedicated to protecting them as U.S.
citizens, as an impediment to their attempted insurrection.
The mob brought weapons to try to accomplish their
insurrectionist objectives and used them against us. These
weapons included hammers, rebars, knives, batons, and police
shields taken by force, as well as bear spray and pepper spray.
Some of the rioters wore tactical gear, including
bulletproof vests and gas masks. The rioters also forcibly took
our batons and shields to use them against us.
I was particularly shocked at the scene that
insurrectionists violently attacked us with the very American
flag that they claimed to protect. Based on the coordinated
tactics we observed and verbal commands we heard, it appears
that many of these attackers had law enforcement or military
experience.
The rioters were vicious and relentless. We found ourselves
in a violent battle desperate to attempt to prevent a breach of
the Capitol by the entrance near the inauguration stage.
Metropolitan Police Officers were being pulled into the crowd.
We have one right here, right next to me.
As we tried to push the rioters back from breaching the
Capitol, in my attempt to assist two MPD officers, I grabbed
one officer by the back of the collar and pulled him back to
the police line.
When I tried to help the second officer, I fell on top of
some police shields on the ground that were slippery because of
pepper spray and bear spray. Rioters immediately began to pull
me by my leg, by my shield, by my gear strap on my left
shoulder.
My survivalist instincts kicked in, and I started kicking
and punching as I tried in vain to get an MPD officer's
attention behind, above me, but they could not help me because
they also were being attacked.
I finally was able to hit the rioter who was grabbing me
with my baton and able to stand. Then I continued to fend off
new attackers as they kept rotating and attacking us again and
again.
What we were subjected to that day was like something from
a medieval battle. We fought hand-to-hand, inch by inch to
prevent an invasion of the Capitol by a violent mob intent on
subverting our democratic process. My fellow officers and I
were committed to not letting any rioters breach the Capitol.
It was a prolonged and desperate struggle. The rioters
attempting to breach the Capitol were shouting, ``Trump sent
us. Pick the right side. We want Trump.''
I vividly heard officers screaming in agony, in pain, just
an arm's length from me. I didn't know at that time, but that
was Officer Hodges, and he's here today to testify.
I too was being crushed by the rioters. I could feel myself
losing oxygen and recall thinking to myself, ``This is how I'm
going to die, defending this entrance.''
Many of the officers fighting alongside me were calling for
shields because their shields had been stripped from them by
the rioters. I was one of the few officers left with a shield,
so I spent the majority of my time at the front of the line.
I later find out that my wife and relatives here in the
United States and abroad were frantically calling and texting
me from 2 p.m. onward because they were watching the turmoil on
television. It was now 4:26 p.m., after giving CPR to one of
the rioters who breached the Capitol in an effort to save her
life, that I finally had a chance to let my own family know
that I was alive.
After order had finally been restored at the Capitol and
many hours, I arrived at home at nearly 4 a.m. on January 7th.
I had to push my wife away from me because she wanted to hug
me, and I told her no because of all the chemicals that my
uniform had on.
Sorry.
I couldn't sleep because the chemical reactivated after I
took a shower, and my skin was burning. I finally fell asleep 2
hours later, completely physically and mentally exhausted, yet,
by 8 o'clock a.m., I was already on my way back to the Capitol.
I continued to work for 15 consecutive days until after the
inauguration. I made sure to work despite my injuries because I
wanted to continue doing my job and help secure the Capitol
complex. More than 6 months later, I'm still trying to recover
from my injuries.
Many of my fellow Capitol officers, as well as MPD
officers, suffered several physical injuries from the violence
inflicted on us on January 6th. I sustained injuries on both my
hands, my left shoulder, my left calf, and my right foot. I
already have undergone bone fusion surgery on my right foot,
and I was just told that I need surgery on my left shoulder. I
have been on medical and administrative leave for much of the
past 6 months, and I expect to need further rehabilitation for
possibly more than a year.
There are some who express outrage when someone kneels
while calling for social justice. Where are those same people
expressing the outrage to condemn the violent attack on law
enforcement, the Capitol, and our American democracy? I'm still
waiting for them.
As America and the world watched in horror what was
happening at the Capitol, we did not receive timely
reinforcement and support we needed. In contrast, during the
Black Lives Matter protests last year, U.S. Capitol Police had
all the support we needed and more. Why the different response?
Were it not for the brave members of the MPD and, later on,
from other law enforcement agencies, I'm afraid to think what
could have happened on January 6th. I want to publicly thank
all the law enforcement agencies that responded to assist that
day, for their courage and their support. I especially want to
thank those Capitol Police Officers who responded on their own
from home after working midnight shift.
Despite being outnumbered, we did our job. Every Member of
the House of Representatives, Senators, and staff members made
it home. Sadly, as a result that day, we lost officers--some
really good officers. But we held the line to protect our
democratic process because the alternative would have been a
disaster. We are not asking for medals, recognition. We simply
want justice and accountability.
For most people, January 6th happened for a few hours but
for those of us who were in the thick of it, it has not ended.
That day continues to be a constant trauma for us literally
every day, whether because of our physical or emotional
injuries, or both. While it has not received much attention,
sadly many of my colleagues have quietly resigned from the
Capitol because of that day.
I am also regularly called by law enforcement officials and
prosecutors to help identify from photographs and videos the
rioters.
To be honest, physical therapy is painful and hard. I could
have lost my life that day, not once but many times. But, as
soon as I recover from my injuries, I will continue forward and
proudly serve my country in the U.S. Capitol Police.
As an immigrant to the United States, I'm especially proud
to have defended the U.S. Constitution and our democracy on
January 6th. I hope that everyone in position of authority in
our country has the courage and conviction to do their part by
investigating what happened on that terrible day and why. This
investigation is essential to our democracy, and I'm deeply
grateful to you for undertaking it.
I'm happy to assist as I can and answer any questions you
may have to the best of my ability.
Thank you.
Chairman Thompson. Thank you very much for your vivid
testimony, Sergeant Gonell.
I now recognize Officer Fanone to summarize his testimony.
Officer Fanone. \2\ Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and Members of
this Committee for inviting me to provide my eyewitness
testimony of the violent assault on our Nation's Capitol on
January 6, 2021.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ Officer Fanone's prepared statement is included in the Appendix
beginning on p. 57.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
My name, for those of you who don't know, is Michael
Fanone. While I've been a sworn officer with the Metropolitan
Police Department in Washington, DC, for almost two decades, my
law enforcement career actually began here in this building as
a United States Capitol Police Officer shortly after 9/11.
In part because of the 2001 attack on our country by the
terrorists, I felt called to serve. As a Capitol Police
Officer, I was proud to protect this institution and dedicated
Members of Congress and their staff who work hard each day to
uphold our American democracy.
I remain proud of the work of the United States Capitol
Police and MPD Officers, who literally commit their lives to
protecting the safety of each of you and all of us in this room
in our Nation's Capital.
After leaving the United States Capitol Police, I became an
MPD officer, serving the residents of Washington, DC. I have
spent the majority of my nearly 20 years as a Metropolitan
Police Officer working in special mission units whose
responsibilities include the investigation and arrest of
narcotics traffickers and violent criminals.
I've worked both as an undercover officer and the lead case
officer in many of these investigations. In this line of work,
it probably won't shock you to know that I've dealt with some
dicey situations. I thought I had seen it all many times over,
yet what I witnessed and experienced on January 6, 2021, was
unlike anything I had ever seen, anything I had ever
experienced or could have imagined in my country. On that day,
I participated in the defense of the United States Capitol from
an armed mob--an armed mob--of thousands determined to get
inside.
Because I was among the vastly outnumbered group of law
enforcement officers protecting the Capitol and the people
inside it, I was grabbed, beaten, tased, all while being called
a traitor to my country. I was at risk of being stripped of and
killed with my own firearm as I heard chants of ``kill him with
his own gun.'' I can still hear those words in my head today.
Although I regularly deal with risky situations on the job,
nowhere in my wildest imagination did I ever expect to be in
that situation or sitting here before you talking about it.
That experience and its aftermath were something that not even
my extensive law enforcement training could prepare me for.
I was just one of hundreds of local police who lined up to
protect Congress, even though I had not been assigned to do
that. Some had asked why we ran to help when we didn't have to.
I did that because I simply could not ignore what was
happening. Like many other officers, I could not ignore the
numerous calls--numerous calls--for help coming from the
Capitol complex.
I am a plainclothes officer assigned to the First District
Crime Suppression Team. But, for the first time in nearly a
decade, I put on my uniform.
When my partner, Jimmy Albright, and I arrived at the
Capitol around 3 that afternoon, it was like--excuse me. It was
unlike any scene I had ever witnessed. Jimmy parked our police
vehicle near the intersection of South Capitol Street and D
Street in Southeast, and we walked to the Capitol, from there
passing the Longworth House Office Building. It was eerily
quiet. The sidewalks, usually filled with pedestrians, were
empty.
As we made our way to Independence Avenue, I could see
dozens of empty police vehicles that filled the street, police
barricades which had been abandoned, and hundreds of angry
protesters, many of whom taunted us as we walked toward the
Capitol Building.
Jimmy and I immediately began to search for an area where
we could be of most assistance. We made our way through a door
on the south side of the Capitol, walking then to the Crypt,
and finally down to the Lower West Terrace tunnel.
It was there that I observed a police commander struggling
to breathe as he dealt with the effects of CS gas that lingered
in the air. Then I watched him collect himself, straighten his
cap and trench coat adorned with its silver eagles, and return
to the line.
That commander was Ramey Kyle of the Metropolitan Police
Department, and those images are etched into my memory, never
to be forgotten. In the midst of that intense and chaotic
scene, Commander Kyle remained cool, calm, and collected as he
gave commands to his officers. ``Hold the line,'' he shouted
over the roar.
Of course, that day, the line was the seat of our American
Government. Despite the confusion and the stress of the
situation, observing Ray's leadership protecting a place I
cared so much about was the most inspirational moment of my
life. The bravery he and others showed that day are the best
examples of duty, honor, and service. Each of us who carries a
badge should bring those core values to our work every day.
The fighting in the Lower West Terrace tunnel was nothing
short of brutal. Here I observed approximately 30 police
officers standing shoulder to shoulder, maybe 4 or 5 abreast,
using the weight of their bodies to hold back the onslaught of
violent attackers. Many of these officers were injured,
bleeding, and fatigued, but they continued to hold the line.
As I don't have to tell the Members in this room, the
tunnel is a narrow and long hallway. It is not the sort of
space anyone would want to be pulled into hand-to-hand combat
with an angry mob, although the narrowness of the hallway
provided what was probably the only chance of holding back the
crowd from entering your personal offices, the House, and
Senate Chambers.
In an attempt to assist the injured officers, Jimmy and I
asked them if they needed a break. There were no volunteers.
Selflessly, those officers only identified other colleagues who
may be in need of assistance.
The fighting dragged on. I eventually joined the tactical
line at the tunnel's entrance. I can remember looking around
and being shocked by the sheer number of people fighting us; as
my police body-worn camera shows, thousands upon thousands of
people seemingly determined to get past us by any means
necessary.
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. They grabbed and 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 remove my firearm. I heard
chanting from some in the crowd: ``Get his gun and kill him
with his own gun.''
I was aware enough to recognize 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'm sure I was
screaming, but I don't think I could even hear my own voice.
My body camera captured the violence of the crowd directed
toward me during those very frightening moments. It's an
important part of the record for this Committee's investigation
and for the country's understanding of how I was assaulted and
nearly killed as the mob attacked the Capitol that day, and I
hope that everyone will be able to watch it.
The portions of the video I've seen remained extremely
painful for me to watch at times, but it is essential that
everyone understands what really happened that tragic day.
During those moments, I remember thinking there was a very
good chance I would be torn apart or shot to death with my own
weapon.
I thought of my four daughters who might lose their dad.
I remain grateful that no Member of Congress had to go
through the violent assault that I experienced that day.
During the assault, I thought about using my firearm on my
attackers, but I knew that if I did, I would be quickly
overwhelmed and that, in their minds, would provide them with
the justification for killing me. So, I instead decided to
appeal to any humanity they might have. I said as loud as I
could manage, ``I've got kids.''
Thankfully, some in the crowd stepped in and assisted me.
Those few individuals protected me from a crowd and inched me
toward the Capitol until my fellow officers could rescue me. I
was carried back inside.
What happened afterwards is much less vivid. I had been
beaten unconscious and remained so for more than 4 minutes. I
know that Jimmy helped to evacuate me from the building and
drove me to MedStar Washington Hospital Center despite
suffering significant injuries himself.
At the hospital, the doctors told me that I had suffered a
heart attack, and I was later diagnosed with a concussion, a
traumatic brain injury, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
As my physical injuries gradually subsided and the
adrenaline that had stayed with me for weeks waned, I have been
left with the psychological trauma and the emotional anxiety of
having survived such a horrific event. 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
so many of my fellow citizens, including so many of the people
I 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 actually wasn't that bad. The
indifference shown to my colleagues is disgraceful.
My law enforcement career prepared me to cope with some of
the aspects of this experience. Being an officer, you know your
life is at risk whenever you walk out the door, even if you
don't expect otherwise law-abiding citizens to take up arms
against you.
But nothing--truly nothing--has prepared me to address
those elected Members of our Government who continue to deny
the events of that day and, in doing so, betray their oath of
office--those very Members whose lives, offices, staff members
I was fighting so desperately to defend.
I agreed to speak here today and have talked publicly about
what happened because I don't think our response to the
insurrection should have anything to do with political parties.
I know that what my partner, Jimmy, and I suited up for on
January 6th didn't have anything to do with political parties
or about politics or what political party any of you public
servants belong to.
I've worked in this city for two decades, and I've never
cared about those things, no matter who was in office. All I've
ever cared about is protecting you and the public so you can do
your job in service to this country and for those whom you
represent.
I appreciate your time and attention. I look forward to the
Committee's investigation, and I am hopeful, with your
commitment, we as a country will confront the truth of what
happened on January 6th and do what is necessary to make sure
this institution of our democracy never falls into the hands of
a violent and angry mob.
We must also recognize the officers who responded that day,
many unsolicited, and their countless acts of bravery and
selflessness. It has been 202 days since 850 MPD officers
responded to the Capitol and helped stop a violent insurrection
from taking over this Capitol complex, which almost certainly
saved countless Members of Congress and their staff from injury
and possibly death. The time to fully recognize these officers
is now.
Thank you again for the opportunity to provide my testimony
here today.
Chairman Thompson. Thank you very much for your testimony.
Now, I don't think there is any question you have our
commitment that we will do just that as a Committee.
Officer Fanone. Thank you, sir.
Chairman Thompson. I now recognize Officer Hodges to
summarize his testimony.
Officer Hodges. \3\ Good morning to the Committee, members
of the press, and to the country.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ Officer Hodges's prepared statement is included in the Appendix
beginning on p. 59.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
To the Members of the Committee, I'd like to thank you for
your invitation today to provide my account of my knowledge and
experiences from January 6, 2021.
As the Chairman mentioned, I am a member of Civil
Disturbance Unit 42 and was working in that capacity on the day
in question. We started that day at 7:30 a.m., and our
assignment at the time was to maintain high visibility along
Constitution Avenue, namely the blocks leading up to
President's Park, where then-President Donald Trump was holding
his gathering.
My particular station was in front of 1111 Constitution
Avenue, where I stood on foot as the crowd poured down the
street and into the park. There were a significant number of
men dressed in tactical gear attending the gathering or wearing
ballistic vests, helmets, goggles, military face masks,
backpacks. Without identifiable visible law enforcement or
military patches, they appeared to be prepared for much more
than listening to politicians speak at a park.
Two of my colleagues were approached by a group of 3 to 4
such men. They were white men, in good shape, with load-bearing
vests equipped with MOLLE pouches. They were wearing BDUs, or
battle dress uniform pants, tactical boots, black sunglasses,
and short haircuts. They had radios, and one was equipped with
an earpiece.
After a bit of small talk, one of them asked my colleague
something to the effect of, Is this all the manpower you have?
Do you really think you are going to be able to stop all these
people? Dumbfounded, my colleague simply expressed they didn't
understand what the speaker meant, and the group continued on.
As the day went on and speakers in the park said their
piece, I monitored the crowd on the radio. Over the radio, I
heard our gun recovery unit working constantly, monitoring
those in the crowd suspected of carrying firearms and making
arrests and seizures when possible.
Multiple gun arrests were made from January 5th through the
7th against those attending and likely had attended or planned
to attend Donald Trump's gathering. Unfortunately, due to the
course of events that day, we will never know exactly how many
were carrying firearms and other lethal weapons.
I don't know what time it was, but eventually the flow of
foot traffic reversed, with people leaving President's Park and
traveling eastbound down Constitution Avenue toward the United
States Capitol.
At approximately 12:30 p.m., I noticed a commotion about
half a block to my east, and I saw the crowd starting to
coalesce around two figures. I ran to where they were and found
a confrontation at the intersection of 10th and Constitution
Avenue Northwest.
One counter-protester, a Black man, was backpedaling away
from a white man in a Trump-labeled face mask who was closely
following him with an outstretched arm. Myself and my colleague
first arrived and physically separated the two, but a crowd of
Donald Trump's people had gathered.
They attempted to bait the counter-protester into
attacking, shouting insults such as, ``Your mother's a whore,''
and accusing him of hiding behind the cops. Eventually, enough
MPD members had gathered to move along the crowd who continued
eastbound toward the Capitol Building, and the counter-
protester departed northbound on 10th Street.
Returning to my post, I continued to monitor the radio. I
could hear Commander Glover leading the defense efforts at the
Capitol as the protesters began their transition from peaceful
assembly into terrorism. I became agitated and wished we could
move in to support, as I could hear the increasing desperation
of the commander's voice, yet we still had to wait for our
orders to change, and eventually they did.
At approximately 1:30 p.m., the commander authorized rapid
response platoons to deploy their hard gear and respond to the
Capitol, including CDU-42.
The last thing I remember hearing over the air before
departing for the Capitol Grounds was confirmation that our
Explosive Ordnance Disposal team had discovered a device. Given
which unit was being associated with the device, I immediately
realized MPD had discovered a bomb of some type near the
Capitol. This thought was never far from my mind for the rest
of the day.
We ran back to our vans and got on our hard gear as quickly
as we could. Navigating alternate routes to avoid the foot
traffic, we drove as close as we could to the Capitol,
disembarking at the northwest side of the Capitol Grounds. We
gave our gear a final check and marched toward the West
Terrace.
The crowd was thinner the further out from the Capitol you
were, so as we marched, the resistance that we initially met
was verbal. A man sarcastically yelled, ``Here come the boys in
blue, so brave.'' Another called on us to ``remember your
oath.'' There was plenty of booing. A woman called us storm
troopers. Another woman, who was part of the mob of terrorists
laying siege to the Capitol of the United States, shouted,
``Traitors.'' More found appeal in this label and shouted
``traitors'' at us as we passed. One man attempted to turn it
into a disyllabic chant. We continued to march.
We had been marching in two columns, but as we got closer
to the West Terrace, the crowd became so dense that in order to
progress, we marched single file with our hands on the
shoulders of the man in front of us in order to avoid
separation. However, as we came close to the terrorists, our
line was divided, and we came under attack.
A man attempted to rip the baton from my hands, and we
wrestled for control. I retained my weapon after I pushed him
back. He yelled at me, ``You're on the wrong team.''
Cut off from our leadership, which was at the front of our
formation, we huddled up and assessed the threat surrounding
us. One man tried and failed to build a rapport with me,
shouting, ``Are you my brother?'' Another takes a different
tact, shouting, ``You will die on your knees.''
I was at the front of our group and determined that we had
to push our way through the crowd in order to join the defense
proper, so I began shouting ``make way,'' as I forged ahead,
hoping that I'm clearing a path for others behind me to follow.
However, as I looked back, I saw that the rest of the group
came under attack and were unable to follow.
The crowd attempted to physically bar the rest of the
platoon from following. I backtrack and started pulling the
terrorists off my team from their backpacks and their collars.
Around this time, one of the terrorists who had scaled the
scaffolding that adorned the Capitol at the time threw
something heavy down at me and struck me in the head,
disorienting me. I suspect this resulted in the likely
concussion I dealt with in the weeks after.
Another man attempted to disarm me of my baton, and again,
we wrestled for control. He kicked me in my chest as we went to
the ground. I was able to retain my baton again, but I ended up
on my hands and knees and blind. The medical mask I was wearing
at the time to protect myself from the coronavirus was pulled
up over my eyes so I couldn't see. I braced myself against the
impact of their blows and feared the worst. Thankfully, my
platoon had repelled their own attackers and got me back on my
feet.
The crowd start chanting ``U-S-A'' at us, and we struck out
again for the West Terrace. I led the charge through the midst
of crowd control munitions, explosions, and smoke engulfing the
area. Terrorists were breaking apart the metal fencing and bike
racks into individual pieces, presumably to use as weapons.
Thankfully, we made it to the secondary defense line on the
West Terrace that MPD and Capitol Police were managing to hold.
The rest of my platoon got behind the line, and we could take
stock of the situation.
I realized that back during the previous assault, someone
had stolen my radio. From that point on, I was in the dark as
to our current status, when reinforcements would arrive.
Terrorists were scaling the scaffolding on both our sides
of the tower that was in front of us and attempting to breach
the waist-high metal fencing that was the only barrier we had
aside from ourselves.
The sea of people was punctuated throughout by flags,
mostly variations of American flags and Trump flags. There were
Gadsden flags. It was clear the terrorists perceived themselves
to be Christians. I saw the Christian flag directly to my
front. Another read, ``Jesus is my savior. Trump is my
President.'' Another, ``Jesus is king.'' One flag read, ``Don't
give up the ship.'' Another had crossed rifles beneath a skull
emblazoned with the pattern of the American flag.
To my perpetual confusion, I saw the thin blue line flag,
the symbol of support for law enforcement--more than once--
being carried by the terrorists as they ignored our commands
and continued to assault us. The acrid sting of CS gas, or tear
gas, and OC spray, which is mace, hung in the air as the
terrorists threw our own CS gas canisters back at us and
sprayed us with their own OC, either that they bought
themselves or stole from us. Later, I learned at least one of
them was spraying us in the face with wasp spray.
The terrorists alternated between attempting to break our
defenses and shouting at or attempting to convert us. Men
alleging to be veterans told us how they had fought for this
country and were fighting for it again. One man tried to start
a chant of ``4 more years.'' Another shouted, ``Do not attack
us, we're not Black Lives Matter,'' as if political affiliation
is how we determine when to use force.
A man in a QAnon hoodie exclaims, ``This is the time to
choose which side of history to be on.'' A man whose shirt
read, ``God, guns, and Trump'' stood behind him silently,
holding a Trump flag.
A new man came to the front and fixated on me, continually
berating me, telling me to take off my gear and give it to him
to show solidarity with ``We the People,'' or, ``We're going to
run over you.'' His voice cracked with the strain and the
volume of his threats. He continued, ``Do you think your little
peashooter guns are going to stop this crowd? No. We're going
in that building.''
Eventually, there is a surge in the crowd, the fence
buckled and broke apart, and we were unable to hold the line. A
chaotic melee ensued. Terrorists pushed through the line and
engaged us in hand-to-hand combat. Several attempted to knock
me over and steal my baton. One latched on to my face and got
his thumb in my right eye, attempting to gouge it out. I cried
out in pain and managed to shake him off. I managed to shake
him off before any permanent damage was done.
I couldn't fully engage anyone; for the moment I do is when
another 20 terrorists move in to attack while my hands are
full. It was all we could do to keep ourselves on our feet and
continue to fall back. I was sprayed with a fire extinguisher,
and a red smoke grenade burns at our feet.
In the fight, a terrorist is knocked to the ground and his
jacket rides up, exposing a large hunting knife on his belt. I,
along with several other officers, piled on him while another
removed the knife from his person. He regained himself unharmed
and shouts indignantly, ``What are you doing? What are you guys
doing?''
At this point, the terrorists had claimed most of the
western terrace, cornering myself and other officers on the
southern edge. We found a side stair off of the terrace up to
an upper landing, followed by more stairs up and inside.
Inside the Capitol Building, officers walked through the
halls briefly until they found a place to sit, decontaminate
their faces of OC and CS, and take a quick breather. I followed
suit. Someone had managed to find a package of water bottles
and was passing them out. I washed off my face as best I could,
rinsed out my mouth, and drank the rest.
I took the opportunity of relative safety to don my gas
mask. Not long afterward, I heard someone calling for officers
to move to assist. I steeled myself for another round and
descended the stairway into a long hallway filled with smoke
and screams.
The Capitol Building is labyrinthine, but judging from the
sound of intense combat, I could tell this hallway led outside
to where the terrorists had forced our retreat. Officers were
stacked deep, but every so often, one would fall back from the
front line nursing an injury or struggling to breathe, and
those who remained would take a step forward. It was a battle
of inches, with one side pushing the other a few and then the
other side regaining their ground.
At the time, I, and I suspect many others in the hallway,
did not know that the terrorists had gained entry into the
building by breaking in doors and windows elsewhere, so we
believed ours to be the last line of defense before the
terrorists had true access to the building and to potentially
our elected representatives.
Eventually, it was my turn in the meat grinder that was the
front line. The terrorists had a wall of shields that they had
stolen from officers as well as stolen batons, what other
armaments they brought. Even during this intense contest of
wills, they tried to convert us to their cult.
One man shouted, ``We all just want to make our voices
heard, and I think you feel the same. I really think you feel
the same,'' all while another man attempts to batter us with a
stolen shield.
Another man, like many others, didn't seem to appreciate
that this wasn't a game. He fought his way across the lawn, up
the steps, through the western terrace, all the OC and CS gas,
and at the front line of this final threshold was asking us to
hold on because he has asthma.
The two sides were at a stalemate at a metal door frame
that sat in the middle of the hallway. At the front line, I
inserted myself so the frame was at my back, in an effort to
give myself something to brace against and provide additional
strength when pushing forward. Unfortunately, soon after I
secured this position, the momentum shifted, and we lost the
ground that got me there. On my left was a man with a clear
riot shield stolen during the assault. He slammed it against me
and, with all the weight of the bodies pushing behind him,
trapped me.
My arms were pinned and effectively useless, trapped
against either the shield on my left or the door frame on my
right. With my posture granting me no functional strength or
freedom of movement, I was effectively defenseless and
gradually sustaining injury from the increasing pressure of the
mob.
Directly in front of me a man seized the opportunity of my
vulnerability, grabbed the front of my gas mask and used it to
beat my head against the door. He switched to pulling it off my
head, the straps stretching against my skull and straining my
neck. He never uttered any words I recognized but opted instead
for guttural screams. I remember him foaming at the mouth.
He also put his cell phone in his mouth so that he had both
hands free to assault me. Eventually, he succeeded in stripping
away my gas mask, and a new rush of exposure to CS and OC spray
hit me. The mob of terrorists were coordinating their efforts
now shouting ``heave-ho,'' as they synchronized pushing their
weight forward, crushing me further against the metal door
frame.
A 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, be dragged out into 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 that I could do and screamed for help.
Thankfully, my voice was heard over the cacophony of yells
and the blaring alarm. The officer closest to me was able to
extricate me from my position and another helped me fall back
to the building again. I had found some more water and
decontaminated my face as best I could. I don't know how long I
waited in the halls for, but soon after I got back on my feet,
I went to where the fight was again. Until reinforcements
arrived, every able body made a difference.
Without my gas mask, I was afraid I'd be a liability in the
hallway, so I took the exit outside of the upper landing above
the West Terrace. I found a police line being held and the
terrorists encircling us much like on the West Terrace Lower.
It was getting later in the day, however, and it appeared we
weren't the only ones getting tired. It seemed most of the mob
was content to yell rather than try and break our line again.
After some time of guarding the upper landing, I saw
reinforcements arrive from the south. I'm not sure which law
enforcement agency it was, but I turned to them and I started
clapping, as it was a sign that badly needed help was starting
to finally arrive.
Soon after that, I started feeling the effects of the day
taking their toll and went back inside to rest. Gradually, all
the members of CDU-42 gathered in the room known as the Capitol
Crypt. We checked on each other and convalesced, glad to see
each other in one piece.
Despite our exhaustion, we would have ran out into the
fight again should the need have arisen. Thankfully, as the day
wore on, more and more resources had arrived at the Capitol to
drive off the terrorists. We stayed in the Crypt until quite
late.
Even after we were allowed to leave the grounds, we didn't
get to go home. Those who needed immediate medical attention
took a van to the local hospital, while the rest of us parked
near the city center until the city was deemed secure enough
for us to check off. I believe we finally got that message
around 1 a.m. the following morning. We drove back to the
Fourth District and from there went home.
Thank you for letting me testify.
Chairman Thompson. Thank you very much for your testimony.
I now recognize Officer Dunn to summarize his testimony.
Officer Dunn. \4\ Chairman Thompson, Members of the Select
Committee, thank you for the opportunity today to give my
account regarding the events of January 6, 2021.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ Officer Dunn's prepared statement is included in the Appendix
beginning on p. 63.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
From my first-hand experience as a Capitol Police Officer
directly involved in those events, and still hurting from what
happened that day, I'm providing this testimony solely in my
personal capacity and not as a representative of the United
States Capitol Police.
Before I begin, I'd like to take a moment of my time to ask
for a moment of silence for my fallen colleague, Officer Brian
Sicknick, who died from injuries he sustained in the line of
duty defending the Capitol of our beloved democracy.
Thank you.
I reported for duty at the Capitol as usual early on the
morning of January 6th. We understood that the vote to certify
President Biden's election would be taking place that day and
protests might occur outside the Capitol, but we expected any
demonstrations to be peaceful expressions of First Amendment
freedoms, just like the scores of demonstrations we had
observed for many years.
After roll call, I took my overwatch post on the East Front
of the Capitol standing on the steps that led up to the Senate
Chamber. As the morning progressed, I did not see or hear
anything that gave me cause for alarm. But around 10:56 a.m., I
received a text message from a friend forwarding a screen shot
of what appeared to be the potential plan of action, very
different from a peaceful demonstration.
The screen shot bore the caption: ``January 6th--Rally
Point--Lincoln Park,'' and said the objective was ``THE
CAPITOL.'' It said, amongst other things, that ``Trump has
given us marching orders,'' and to ``keep your guns hidden.''
It urged people ``to bring . . . your trauma kits'' and ``gas
masks'' to ``[l]ink up early in the day'' in ``6-12 man
teams.'' It indicated there would be ``time to arm up.''
Seeing that message caused me concern. To be sure, looking
back now, it seemed to foreshadow what happened later. At the
time, though, we had not received any threat warnings from our
chain of command. I had no independent reason to believe that
violence was headed our way.
As the morning progressed and the crowd of protesters began
to swell on the east side of the Capitol, many displaying Trump
flags, the crowd was chanting slogans like ``Stop the steal,''
and ``We want Trump.'' But the demonstration was still being
conducted in a peaceful manner.
Earlier that afternoon, Capitol Police dispatch advised all
units over the radio that we had an active 10-100 at the
Republican National Committee nearby: 10-100 is police code for
a suspicious package, such as a potential bomb. That radio
dispatch got my attention, and I started to get more nervous
and worried, especially because the crowds on the East Front of
the Capitol were continuing to grow.
Around the same time, I started receiving reports on the
radio about large crowd movements around the Capitol coming
from the direction of The Ellipse to both the West and East
Fronts of the Capitol. Then I heard urgent radio calls for
additional officers to respond to the west side and an
exclamation, a desperate voice, that demonstrators on the west
side had breached the fence. Now it was obvious that there was
a direct threat to the Capitol.
I quickly put on a steel chest plate, which weighs
approximately 20 pounds, and carrying my M-4 rifle, sprinted
around the north side of the Capitol to the West Terrace and
the railing of the inaugural stage, where I had a broad view of
what was going on.
I was stunned by what I saw. What seemed like a sea of
people, Capitol Police Officers and Metropolitan Police
Officers, MPD, were engaged in desperate hand-to-hand fighting
with rioters across the west lawn.
Until then, I had never seen anyone physically assault
Capitol Police or MPD, let alone witness mass assaults being
perpetrated on law enforcement officers. I witnessed the
rioters using all kinds of weapons against officers, including
flagpoles, metal bike racks that they had torn apart, and
various kinds of projectiles. Officers were being bloodied in
the fighting. Many were screaming, and many were blinded and
coughing from chemical irritants being sprayed in their faces.
I gave decontamination aid to as many officers as I could,
flushing their eyes with water to dilute the chemical
irritants.
Soon thereafter, I heard, ``Attention all units, the
Capitol has been breached,'' and that rioters were in various
places inside the building. At that point, I rushed into the
Capitol with another officer, going first to the basement on
the Senate side where I'd heard an MPD officer needed a
defibrillator.
After returning outside to the West Terrace to assist the
officers, I went back into the Capitol and up the stairs toward
the Crypt. There I saw rioters who had invaded the Capitol,
carrying a Confederate flag, a red MAGA flag, and a ``Don't
Tread on Me'' flag.
I decided to stand my ground there to prevent any rioters
from heading down the stairs to the Lower West Terrace
entrance, because that's where officers were getting
decontamination aid and were particularly vulnerable.
At the top of the stairs, I confronted a group of
insurrectionists, warning them, do not go down those steps. One
of them shouted, ``Keep moving, patriots.'' Another displayed
what looked like a law enforcement badge and told me, ``We're
doing this for you.'' One of the invaders approached me like he
was going to try to get past me and head down the stairs. I hit
him, knocking him down.
After getting relieved by other officers in the Crypt, I
took off running upstairs toward the Speaker's Lobby and helped
the plainclothes officer who was getting hassled by
insurrectionists. Some of them were dressed like members of a
militia group, wearing tactical vests, cargo pants, and body
armor. I was physically exhausted, and it was hard to breathe
and to see because of all the chemical spray in the air.
More and more insurrectionists were pouring into the area
by the Speaker's Lobby near the Rotunda, and some wearing MAGA
hats and shirts that said, ``Trump 2020.'' 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,
``Well, 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 nigger
voted for Joe Biden.'' Then the crowd, perhaps around 20
people, joined in screaming, ``Boo, fucking nigger.'' No one
had ever, ever called me a nigger while wearing the uniform of
a Capitol Police Officer.
In the days following the attempted insurrection, other
Black officers shared with me their own stories of racial abuse
on January 6th. One officer told me he had never in his entire
40 years of life been called a nigger to his face, and that
streak ended on January 6th. Yet, another Black officer later
told me he had been confronted by insurrectionists in the
Capitol who told him, ``Put your gun down and we'll show you
what kind of nigger you really are.''
To be candid, the rest of the afternoon is a blur, but I
know I went throughout the Capitol to assist officers who
needed aid and help expel more insurrectionists. In the Crypt,
I encountered Sergeant Gonell, who was giving assistance to an
unconscious woman who had been in the crowd of rioters on the
west side of the Capitol. I helped to carry her to the area of
the House Majority Leader's Office where she was administered
CPR.
As the afternoon wore on, I was completely drained, both
physically and emotionally, and in shock and in total disbelief
over what had happened. Once the building was cleared, I went
to the Rotunda to recover with other officers and share our
experiences from what happened that afternoon. Representative
Rodney Davis was there offering support to officers, and when
he and I saw each other, he came over and he gave me a big hug.
I sat down on a bench in the Rotunda with a friend of mine,
who is also a Black Capitol Police Officer, and told him about
the racial slurs I endured. I became very emotional and began
yelling, how the blank could something like this happen? Is
this America? I began sobbing. Officers came over to console
me.
Later on January 6th, after order and security had been
restored in the Capitol through the hard work and sacrifices of
law enforcement, Members took the floor of the House to speak
out about what had happened that day. Among them was House
Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who, along with my fellow
officers, I had protected that day and will protect today and
tomorrow--I had protected that day and will protect today and
tomorrow.
The Minority Leader, to his great credit, said the
following to the House: ``The violence, destruction, and chaos
we saw earlier was unacceptable, undemocratic, and un-American.
It was the saddest day I have ever had serving in this
institution.''
Members of this Select Committee, the Minority Leader was
absolutely right how he described what took place in the
Capitol. For those of us in the Capitol Police, who serve and
revere this institution and who love the Capitol Building, it
was the saddest day for us as well.
More than 6 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 am
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 are continuing to
experience from the events of January 6th. There's 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.
I also respectfully ask that this Select Committee review
the available resources--the services available to us and
consider whether they are sufficient enough to meet our needs,
especially with respect to the amount of leave that we are
allowed.
In closing, we can never again allow our democracy to be
put in peril as it was on January 6th. I thank the Members of
the Select Committee for your commitment to determine what led
to disaster at the Capitol on January 6th, what actually took
place that day, and what steps should be taken to prevent such
an attack on our democracy from ever happening again.
I also want to thank and acknowledge my brothers and
sisters in blue who fought alongside me on January 6th to
protect our democracy. Each of you is a hero, and it is my
honor to serve with you each and every day.
I'd like to thank the American people for all of the
support that they have provided these past several months to me
and my fellow officers.
Last, to the rioters, the insurrectionists, and the
terrorists of that day, 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.
Thank you again for the opportunity to testify, and I would
be happy to answer any questions that you may have.
Chairman Thompson. Thank you very much.
I thank all the witnesses for their testimony.
The rules we established allowed you the opportunity to
tell your story. There is no question about it; you have done
it in your own words. We appreciate it. So, what we will do now
is begin our questioning of you.
I now recognize myself for questions.
At the time of the attack on the Capitol, I was in the
gallery observing the proceedings on the House floor. While
Members of Congress were being protected by the police, you,
the patriots protecting the Capitol in our very democracy, were
being attacked by the mob outside.
I want to learn more about what you did and what you
witnessed. Officer Fanone, as a narcotics officer, you weren't
supposed to be at the Capitol on January 6th. Is that right?
Officer Fanone. Yes, sir, that's correct.
Chairman Thompson. What prompted you to come to the
Capitol?
Officer Fanone. I mean, I was listening to the radio
transmissions, specifically those coming from now-Commander
Robert Glover, who was the on-scene commander. If you've
listened to those transmissions, he identifies himself as
Cruiser 50.
I heard things that I had never heard before in my law
enforcement career. In addition to the numerous distress calls
or 10-33s that I heard, which are, while not commonplace, also
not uncommon in policing, I heard things like, you know, the
declaration of a city-wide 10-33, which in my career, to my
recollection, has only been utilized, in addition to the 9/11
attacks, on the Navy Yard attack. So, I found that particularly
distressful.
Also, you could hear the tone of the individual officer's
voices. They were scared. They were, you know, clearly
outnumbered and being violently assaulted.
Chairman Thompson. Thank you. So, basically, the radio
traffic, the 10-33 signal on the radio, and your basic law
enforcement instinct said your fellow comrades needed help, and
therefore you made your way, along with your friend, to the
Capitol?
Officer Fanone. Yes, sir.
Chairman Thompson. So, you went anyway. Let me thank you
for that. I understand a number of other people did the same.
Officer Hodges, we've seen the harrowing video of you being
crushed in a doorway as you bravely fought to keep the mob from
breaching the Capitol. Many of your fellow officers' acts of
heroism were not captured on video and are not therefore known
to the public. Can you please share with the Committee other
acts of heroism by your colleagues on January 6th that you're
aware of?
Officer Hodges. Absolutely. One of my sergeants, Sergeant
Brian Peake, while fighting, maintained control over the
barricades on the West Terrace, was struck by a rioter and
fractured and severely lacerating his right index finger. He
kept in the fight for several more hours after that and just
put some tape on it, a napkin, and went back to work. He was
there for several hours before finally accepting medical evac.
He ended up having to have the tip of his finger removed.
Another officer who was out there in the fight with us,
he--much like myself--he had a large, heavy object thrown and
struck his head. He wasn't as lucky as me, though. He has
suffered lost time from that day, and he remains still out on
medical leave. Even today he has not returned to work, but at
the time he was still fighting.
Another officer, who was fought on the West Terrace and in
the tunnels, instrumental to the defense, after being
completely soaked with OC spray, was shocked several times by a
cattle prod one of the terrorists brought with them.
When I went over my testimony--my opening statement before,
I mentioned that we were attacked outside the second area-of-
defense line on the West Terrace, and after we rallied there,
we continued onward. I know that another officer found a
Capitol Police Officer who was being dragged out into the
crowd, and he was unable to signal to us what was going on. So,
he charged in there by himself and got that officer back out of
there and in the process hyperextended his knee and took
several other injuries.
You know, The Washington Post and Carnegie Mellon
University have estimated that there were about 9,400
terrorists out there, and I would say we had about 150, 175
officers. So, any one of them could tell you any amounts of
heroic acts or injuries they sustained, but these are just a
few that I know of.
Chairman Thompson. Thank you very much.
Officer Gonell, you talked about your tour in Iraq and what
have you--and thank you for your service. Can you give the
Committee a sense of comparing that tour and experiences with
what you experienced on January 6th?
Sergeant Gonell. Sure. Back when I was in Iraq and sometime
on a convoy mission to provide mutual support or taking care
packages or whatnot to my other units in detachment--we went
through roadside bomb-infested IEDs, whatnot, convoys. My fears
were minimal around that time. It was not as constant. I know
we knew at that time that we could run over an IED and that was
it, but at least we knew that we were in a combat zone. Here,
in our country, in our very own Capitol, we are being attacked.
Not once but multiple times we had----
Chairman Thompson. Can you pull the microphone to you just
a little bit?
Sergeant Gonell. Oh, sorry. Not only we were attacked one
time, but it was multiple times, over and over, different
people. They hit us and then they got tired of hitting us and
then they switch, somebody else, rotating in and out.
As my colleagues also have said, we were at the lowest
entrance tunnel, and we didn't have a chance to rotate
ourselves until later on, like after an hour and a half later.
So, whoever was there, we were fighting for our life. We were
fighting to protect all of you.
In our mind, that time, at that entrance, that was it. That
was the point of breach, and we were not letting them in.
They tried to convert us. They tried to persuade us to let
them in, yelling, and then once they saw that we were not doing
that, they continued to attack us even more, and it was
nonstop.
So, my time compared to Iraq, totally different. This is
our own citizens, people who we swore an oath to protect, but
yet they are attacking us with the same flag that they claim to
represent. It was bad.
Chairman Thompson. Thank you.
Officer Dunn, you talked about being called the N-word, you
talked about being talked about like you've never heard before,
and you talked about sharing comments from your other
colleagues, as well as the seeing of the Confederate flag and
other things carried through the Capitol.
As an African-American law enforcement officer, can you
give us, this Committee and those who are watching, how you
felt defending the Capitol on that day being called that and
seeing the symbols of the Confederacy going through the Capitol
at the same time?
Officer Dunn. Yes, sir. Thank you for your question. To be
frank, while the attack was happening, I didn't view it and I
wasn't able to process it as a racial attack. I was just trying
to survive that day and get home.
When I did have a moment to process it, I think that's in
the Rotunda where I became so emotional, because I was able to
process everything that happened, and it was just so
overwhelming. It's so disheartening and disappointing that we
live in a country with people like that, that attack you
because of the color of your skin just to hurt you. Those words
are weapons.
Thankfully, at the moment, it didn't hinder me from doing
my job, but once I was able to process it, it hurt. It hurt
just reading it now and just thinking about it, that people
demonize you because of the color of your skin, when my blood
is red, I'm an American citizen, I'm a police officer, I'm a
peace officer, I'm here to defend this country, defend
everybody in this building, not just the Members, all the
staff, guests, everybody.
It just hurts that we have people in this country that
resort to that regardless of your actions and what you desire
to do to make a difference out there. It's disheartening.
Chairman Thompson. Thank you. But because of your heroism
on that day, lives were saved, and our democracy was preserved,
in large part because you gave your all, all of you, for that
day on January 6th. I assure you this Committee will ensure
there is a comprehensive account of your heroic acts of that
day, and your testimony this morning is an essential part of
that record. Thank you for your service to this country and for
coming before us today.
The Chair now recognizes Members for questions they may
wish to ask the witnesses. The gentlewoman from Wyoming, Ms.
Cheney, is recognized.
Ms. Cheney. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
Again, thank you to all of our witnesses for your heroism
and your bravery that day, and also for being here today and
telling your story. I certainly join the Chairman and every
Member of this Committee in our commitment to making sure we
get to the truth and that those who did this are accountable.
Officer Gonell, I'd like to ask you, you describe in your
testimony that it was--you said it was like a medieval
battlefield, that what you were subjected to that day was
something like a medieval battlefield. You said, ``We fought
hand-to-hand and inch by inch to prevent an invasion of the
Capitol by a violent mob intent on subverting our democratic
process.''
Is it the case that as you were fighting there, you were
not aware that the Capitol had been breached elsewhere? I
believe you said that you really thought that was--you were the
last line of defense. Is that right?
Sergeant Gonell. That is correct, ma'am.
Ms. Cheney. So, Officer Gonell, when you----
Sergeant Gonell. Sergeant.
Ms. Cheney [continuing]. Think about that and share with us
the vivid memory of the cruelty and the violence of the assault
that day, and then you hear former President Trump say, ``It
was a loving crowd. There was a lot of love in the crowd,'' how
does that make you feel?
Sergeant Gonell. It's upsetting. It's a pathetic excuse for
his behavior for something that he himself helped to create,
this monstrosity. I'm still recovering from those hugs and
kisses that day that he claimed that so many rioters,
terrorists were assaulting us that day. If that was hugs and
kisses, then we should all go to his house and do the same
thing to him.
To me, it's insulting, it's demoralizing, because
everything that we did was to prevent everyone in the Capitol
from getting hurt. What he was doing, instead of sending the
military, instead of sending the support, or telling his
people, his supporters to stop this nonsense, he egged them to
continue fighting.
I was in the Lower West Terrace fighting alongside these
officers, and all of them--all of them--were telling us,
``Trump sent us.'' Nobody else. There was nobody else. It was
not Antifa. It was not Black Lives Matter. It was not the FBI.
It was his supporters that he sent them over to the Capitol
that day. He could have done a lot of things; one of them was
to tell them to stop.
He talks about sacrificing--sacrifices, whatnot; the only
thing that he has sacrificed is the institutions of the country
and the country itself only for his ego, because he wants the
job but he doesn't want to do the job. That's a shame on him,
himself.
Ms. Cheney. Thank you.
Officer Fanone, you talked in your testimony about the fact
that the line that day was the seat of American democracy, was
the seat of our Government. Can you talk about, as you think
now about what was under threat, first of all, did you have a
sense at the time, as you were going through the battle before
the horrific violence happened to you, of the nature of the
gravity of the threat that we were facing, that the line was,
in fact, the seat of American democracy?
Officer Fanone. Well, my response that day really was based
off of my obligation as a police officer to not only protect
the lives of the Members of Congress and their staff but also
to my fellow officers. The politics of that day really didn't
play into my response at all.
Ms. Cheney. Thank you.
Officer Hodges, in your testimony, you talk about when you
were at The Ellipse, and you mentioned the significant number
of men dressed in tactical gear attending the gathering,
wearing ballistic vests, helmets, goggles. When you saw that,
was that something that you had anticipated at all? Could you
just tell us more about that crowd there at The Ellipse, the
extent to which you saw people who clearly were in military or
paramilitary garb?
Officer Hodges. It was absolutely a source of concern. Like
I said, they had outer carrier vests designed to carry
ballistic shielding, helmets, goggles, face masks, backpacks
filled with unknown objects. I couldn't get a count and we
couldn't stop and search everyone, so I don't know how many
there were. But I know that, it was obviously a concern of
mine.
Ms. Cheney. Thank you very much.
Then, finally, Officer Dunn, you mentioned the text message
that you received, and you expressed some surprise. You
mentioned that you had not seen any intelligence that would
have led you to believe that we should expect that kind of
violence. Could you elaborate on that a little bit?
Officer Dunn. Yes, ma'am. We were expecting civil
disobedience, as we do at the Capitol, at least that was what
was relayed to us; a couple of arrests, name calling,
unfriendly people, but nowhere near the level of violence or
even close to it like that we experienced.
When I received the text messages, it made the hairs on my
neck rise. But since our chain of command had not told us to
prepare for any of these levels of violence, I was just like,
okay, whatever. Like, I've been here--I start year 14 in
November--and I've dealt with hundreds of protests where people
get arrested and for peaceful First Amendment protests.
Everybody has the right to protest. Okay. Do what you do, and
we'll arrest you if you break the law, and we'll go home later
that night. It was a lot different than that, but I was not
alerted to the level of violence. Like, the text messages I got
foreshadowed that looking back, but, no, we were not prepared
for what we faced that day.
Ms. Cheney. Thank you.
Mr. Chairman, I'd like to ask unanimous consent to enter
that complete text message into the record.
Chairman Thompson. Without objection, so ordered.
Ms. Cheney. Thank you.
[The information follows:]
Ms. Cheney. Again, I would just like to express my deep
gratitude for what you all did to save us, and it won't be
forgotten, and we will get to the bottom of this. Thank you
very much.
With that, I yield back.
Chairman Thompson. The gentlelady yields back.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California, Ms.
Lofgren.
Ms. Lofgren. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thanks to each one of you and your colleagues for what you
did. I was on the floor of the House helping to defend the
voters of Arizona to a challenge to their electors while you
were out trying to keep a violent mob from invading the
Capitol.
So, I really do want to thank you for your tremendous
courage and stamina and heroism, not just for myself; I Chair
the House Administration Committee, and I know how many others
work in this Capitol, not only the staff to the Members of
Congress, but the food service workers who were present and
clerical staff. You saved them as well, and so they also owe
you a debt of gratitude.
I do realize that ultimately the rioters breached the
Capitol, but the time that you kept them out really made a
tremendous difference. You saved the day. You saved the
Constitution, and it made a tremendous difference for our
country.
Officer Dunn, I did hear you about the need for additional
help, and I want to pledge to you that we will work with the
Capitol Police to make sure that the resources, the mental
health unit has the resources that officers need. I'll make
that pledge to you right now.
Officer Dunn. Thank you.
Ms. Lofgren. I would like to ask, Sergeant Gonell, not
everyone knew that you were fighting in the hallway near the
Lower West Terrace on January 6th. Can you tell me what you
went through on that hallway? Then while you were there,
Metropolitan Police arrived to help you out. What difference
did that make?
Sergeant Gonell. Sure, ma'am. Before I start, by no means
am I suggesting that we would go to his house. I apologize for
my outburst.
After we retreated to the Lower West Terrace entrance, it
was rough. It was terrible. Everything that was happening to
us, it was simultaneously, and we didn't have a lot of support.
We had probably like 50 officers at most when we went back in.
Once we were there, we started saying to ourselves, this is it.
This is the entrance where they're going to try to breach.
We're going to hold the line. We're going to do everything
possible, without even coordinating among ourselves.
The few officers who were still carrying shields, we
automatically assumed position in the front. Some of those
shields were taken, ripped apart from the officers' hands. Some
of the officers also got concussed because they were hit with
the same shields they were holding, because that was so
violently taken from them that they were concussed.
There were multiple struggles in terms of fighting. My
shield was round, and I was able to get some strikes, but
because we were in so close quarters, it was hard for us to
even do that. The only thing we were allowed to was push
forward. Whoever has shields stay in the front, and whoever was
in behind the people with the shield, then they were striking
those rioters.
At some point, I fell on the floor on top of some shields,
trying to help and assist some of the officers, and I got
pulled to the crowd. Luckily, I was able to free myself and
stand up.
Later on, the second time I went back to the front, that's
when Officer Hodges was getting trampled. I was getting
trampled, because just the mere force of the rioters pushing
forward and police officers pushing out, we were getting
trampled in the middle. So, it was a very terrible thing that
happened to us, yes.
Ms. Lofgren. Officer Fanone, before I ask you a question,
I'd like to show a brief video clip of some of what you went
through today. I realize this can be difficult to watch, but I
think it's important for the public to see.
Voice. Where is the West Front of the Capitol Building?
Voice. What do you got there?
Voice. 10-33.
Crowd. U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!
Crowd. [unintelligible]
Voice. Come on, MPD!
Voice. Push!
Voice. You've got to fight the right people.
Voice. Push!
Voice. I got you, Mike. That's my hand. You're good.
Voice. Push them back!
Crowd. [unintelligible]
Voice. This is for you guys. This is for you.
Crowd. [unintelligible]
Voice. I've got one.
Voice. You can't do this to me. I've got kids.
Voice. . . . why the fuck?
Voice. We need a medic! We need EMTs now!
Officer Albright. Mike, stay in there, buddy. Mike, it's Jimmy; I'm
here. Mike!
Ms. Lofgren. Almost all of that was from your body camera
footage. Can you walk us through what we've just seen, Officer
Fanone?
Officer Fanone. Well, I believe the first portion of that
video began--that was my body-worn camera footage from the
Crypt area of the Capitol Rotunda. It was there that I first
heard the 10-33, or distress call, come out from the Lower West
Terrace tunnel, which I didn't realize at the time was only a
few hundred yards away from where I was at.
I told my partner, Jimmy Albright, who was there with me,
that there was a 10-33 coming out from the Lower West Terrace.
We tried to get our bearings and figure out which way that
might be. We asked a group of Capitol Police Officers, and they
directed us down a set of stairs. From there, Jimmy and I
walked down to the Lower West Terrace tunnel.
The first thing I remember was seeing a buddy of mine,
Sergeant Bill Bogner, who is an administrative sergeant. He
used to work in my district. Now he works over at the academy.
He was unable to see. He had been sprayed in the face with bear
mace.
I went up to him and told him, ``Hey, it's Fanone.'' I
remember he stretched out his hand to shake mine. That's when
he told me that the guys that were just beyond that set of
double doors had been fighting there for--I believe he said
about 30 minutes. I don't think he realized what time it was
because they had been fighting since around 1 p.m. It was 3
o'clock. So, those guys had been there fighting for 2 hours
unrelieved.
I remember looking up through the set of double doors.
There was glass panes, and you could see the CS gas, like white
powder, still lingering in the air. It was at that point that I
realized I probably should have brought my gas mask.
So, I went through the double doors, and I saw Ramey Kyle,
who was, at the time, a commander with our Criminal
Investigations Division, overseeing all the detectives units.
Like many other officers, sergeants, lieutenants, captains that
day, he self-deployed and found himself commanding a group of
about 30 or 40 officers there in the Lower West Terrace tunnel.
Commander Kyle was having a difficult time breathing. I
remember I followed him back out through the set of double
doors into that initial hallway, as he kind of cleared himself,
straightened himself up. I described it before. I thought he
looked like George Patton.
I remember he put his hat back on and walked right back out
through the doorway into the tunnel, and I followed him. It was
at that point, I think, when I started approaching that group
of officers there defending the doorway that I realized the
gravity of the situation.
My initial thought was these guys looked beat to hell, and,
you know, maybe I could try to get in there and get some guys
some help.
So, I told Jimmy that, you know, we needed to get in there
and try to offer assistance, and that's what we did initially.
We started making our way through the crowd of officers,
yelling out, ``Who needs a break?''
Like I said in my initial testimony, there were no
volunteers. There were officers who identified other colleagues
who were in need of help, and I remember somebody yelling out,
``This guy needs help,'' and handed me that officer. I handed
him off to Jimmy and told him to get him to the back. I
continued to make my way up to the front lines.
Once I got up there, it was the first time I really came
face-to-face with these terrorists. They were dressed in, you
know, clothing adorned with political slogans, ``Make America
Great Again,'' ``Donald Trump 2020,'' things of that nature.
They were wearing military-style clothing, Kevlar vests, Kevlar
helmets. Many of them had gas masks, and quite a few had
shields, which they had taken away from law enforcement
officers, and they were using them to beat us at the front
line.
The first thing I told them was, ``Hey, man, we've got to
get these doors closed. We've got injured officers in here.''
That really seemed to piss those guys off. They became
incredibly violent, and that's when that surge that you watched
in some of the video began. You had a large group at the mouth
of that tunnel entrance trying to push their way through the
officers who were fighting to defend it.
I believe, had they done so or had they accomplished that,
they would have trampled us to death. Most certainly, you would
have had police officers killed.
I fought there at the front for some time. I was yelling
out, you know, trying to inspire some of the other officers
that were up there that were tired, telling them to dig in and
push, and we started to make some progress.
Sergeant Gonell. I remember that.
Officer Fanone. We pushed those guys out of the tunnel, out
through the initial threshold, and I remember thinking to
myself, ``Man, it's good to get some fresh air.'' It was at
that point that I was pulled off the line.
That initial period of time where I was pulled off that
line was kind of a blur. I just remember getting violently
assaulted from every direction and eventually found myself out
probably about 250, maybe 300 feet away from the mouth of the
tunnel where the other officers were at. I knew that I was up
shit creek without a paddle.
I was trying to push guys off of me, create some space. All
the while, I recognized the fact that there were individuals
that were trying to grab a hold of my gun. I remember one of
them distinctly lunging at me time and time again trying to
grab my gun. I heard people in the crowd yelling, ``Get his
gun, kill him with his own gun,'' and words to that effect.
I thought about using my weapon. I believed that there were
individuals in the crowd whose intentions were to kill me. I
came to that conclusion because of the fact that, separated
from these other officers, who were only trying to defend the
Capitol, I no longer posed any type of threat nor was I an
impediment to them going inside of the building, but yet they
tortured me. They beat me. I was struck with a taser device at
the base of my skull numerous times. They continued to do so
until I yelled out that I have kids.
I said that hoping to appeal to some of those individuals'
humanity, and fortunately, a few did step in and intervene on
my behalf.
They did assist me back toward the mouth of the tunnel
entrance, and other officers were then able to rescue me and
pull me back inside. But, at that point, I was unconscious.
Based off the body-worn camera footage, it's believed that I
was unconscious for approximately 4 minutes.
Ms. Lofgren. Thank you, Officer. Thanks to each one of you.
Our country is lucky, really blessed that you are as patriotic
and brave as you are.
I yield back, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Thompson. The gentlelady yields back.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois, Mr.
Kinzinger.
Mr. Kinzinger. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you to my colleagues on the Committee.
Thank you to our witnesses. I never expected today to be
quite as emotional for me as it has been. I've talked to a
number of you and gotten to know you.
I think it's important to tell you right now, though. You
guys may individually feel a little broken. You guys all talked
about the effects you have to deal with and you talked about
the impact of that day.
But you guys won. You guys held.
You know, democracies are not defined by our bad days.
We're defined by how we come back from bad days, how we take
accountability for that. For all the overheated rhetoric
surrounding this Committee, our mission is very simple. It's to
find the truth, and it's to ensure accountability.
Like most Americans, I'm frustrated that, 6 months after a
deadly insurrection breached the United States Capitol for
several hours on live television, we still don't know exactly
what happened. Why? Because many in my party have treated this
as just another partisan fight. It's toxic, and it's a
disservice to the officers and their families, to the staff and
the employees on the Capitol complex, to the American people
who deserve the truth, and to those generations before us who
went to war to defend self-governance because self-governance
is at stake.
That's why I agreed to serve on this Committee. I want to
know what happened that day. But, more importantly, I want all
Americans to be able to trust the work this Committee does and
get the facts out there free of conspiracy.
This cannot continue to be a partisan fight. I'm a
Republican. I'm a conservative. But, in order to heal from the
damage caused that day, we need to call out the facts. It's
time to stop the outrage and the conspiracies that fuel the
violence and division in this country. Most importantly, we
need to reject those that promote it.
As a country, it's time to learn from our past mistakes,
rebuild stronger so this never happens again, and then we can
move onward. Serving on this Committee, I'm here to investigate
January 6th not in spite of my membership in the Republican
Party but because of it; not to win a political fight but to
learn the facts and defend our democracy.
Here is what we know: Congress was not prepared on January
6th. We weren't prepared because we never imagined that this
could happen--an attack by our own people fostered and
encouraged by those granted power through the very system they
sought to overturn. That is a lesson. That is not a conspiracy
theory or a counternarrative. We don't blame victims. We go
after the criminals.
Some have concocted a counternarrative to discredit this
process on the grounds that we didn't launch a similar
investigation into the urban riots and looting last summer.
Mr. Chairman, I was called on to serve during the summer
riots as an Air National Guardsman. I condemn those riots and
the destruction of property that resulted, but not once did I
ever feel that the future of self-governance was threatened
like I did on January 6th. There is a difference between
breaking the law and rejecting the rule of law, between a
crime--even grave crimes--and a coup.
As we begin our work today, I want to call this Committee's
attention to the oath of office, an oath not to a party, not to
an individual, but to the Constitution that represents all
Americans. Everyone in elected office knows how hard it can be
sometimes to keep that oath, to preserve, protect, and defend
the Constitution of the United States in the forefront of our
minds, what with the political pressures and reelections always
around the corner.
But, Mr. Chairman, our witnesses today, like every law
enforcement officer across the country, took the same oath we
did. On January 6th, the temptation to compromise their oaths
didn't come in the form of a campaign check or a threat from
leadership or an all-caps tweet. It came in the form of a
violent mob.
While we on this dais were whisked away from the danger,
heroes like those here stood their posts before it and paid the
price, and we are only here now because you guys were here
then.
Therefore, it's altogether fitting that we begin our
investigation of January's lawless attack against the
Constitution with these four men who made sure that the attack
did not succeed, with those who helped to ensure that democracy
held. I think it's important to remember that you are four with
stories, but there are hundreds with stories as well that you
represent, where you sit.
Officer Fanone, I know your passion is to make sure that
D.C. Metro gets the credit it's due, and I thank you. I know
that you represent the hundreds of officers, like Officer
Hodges, that responded to that call.
What I want to ask: Does this feel like old history to any
of the four of you? Sometimes we hear out there: It's time to
move on, right? It's been 6 whole months, time to move on.
Does this feel like old history and time to move on? You
can just say yes or no.
Sergeant Gonell. No, sir.
Officer Fanone. Nope.
Officer Hodges. There can be no moving on without
accountability. There can be no healing until we make sure this
can't happen again.
Officer Dunn. I echo that. How do you move on without
correcting what happened?
Mr. Kinzinger. Let me ask you all--one of the narratives
out there--and, Officer Fanone, it triggered something in your
testimony when you said it. So, there has been this idea that
this was not an armed insurrection, as if somehow that is
justification for what happened. We know the hugs and kisses.
We know it was BLM and Antifa, right? Of course, then you
would, I'm sure, want to investigate that if that's the case.
Now we've heard maybe the FBI actually had started this.
But one of the ones that has always held was that this was not
an armed insurrection.
Officer Dunn, you mentioned that those that stormed the
Capitol were very well-organized and trained. Let me ask you--
and I'll ask actually to all four of you. Officer Hodges, I
know this was part of your job initially before you responded
to the Capitol. If, in the middle of all that melee, you see
somebody with a gun in that crowd, would you be able to go out,
apprehend, arrest them, read them their rights, and go through
that process, or was the mission at the moment survival and
defense of the Capitol?
So, I'm asking: Is it possible that people maybe had guns?
We've seen that actually there were, but this idea that, wow,
people weren't arrested with guns. At the time, it was raw
survival.
We can just start on the left. Let me ask you: What's your
response to that?
Sergeant Gonell. For those people who continue to downplay
this violent attack on our democracy and officers, I suggest
them to look at the videos and the footage, whatnot, because
common things were used as weapons, like a baseball bat, a
hockey stick, a rebar, a flagpole, including the American flag,
pepper spray, bear spray.
So, you name it. You had all these items and things that
were thrown at us and used to attack us. Those are weapons. No
matter--if it is a pen, the way they were using these items, it
was to hurt officers. It was to hurt police officers. Their
intent was not to say, ``Hey, let me go and find the
Republicans or the Democrats in there, or the Independents.''
It was every single body that was here in this building, in the
Capitol, that their intent was to get them out and hurt them.
It would have been a much different outcome had we not
stopped them, especially at the Lower West Terrace entrance.
Even though, at that time, we didn't know that there were other
breaches in the Capitol, our intent was to stop whoever was
trying to come in through that door.
Those weapons that were used, those were common items, but
the way they were using it was as weapons.
Mr. Kinzinger. Let me ask, too, in kind of my final
moments, Sergeant Gonell--Officer Hodges, you were a Virginia
guardsman, I believe--fellow guardsmen?
Officer Hodges. Yes, sir.
Mr. Kinzinger. At any time in your service in the
military--as you know, I'm an Air Guardsman--and, Sergeant
Gonell, you specifically mentioned your time in Iraq. At any
time in your military service, did you change how you defended
the person to your left or right or how you trained with them
based on their political affiliation----
Officer Hodges. No. Not at all.
Mr. Kinzinger [continuing]. Whether it was in a war or
anything?
Officer Hodges. No.
Sergeant Gonell. No, sir. The way I viewed it at the time
was I'm an American, and the person right next to me is an
American, and I would do everything possible for me to defend
him and the country at that time.
Mr. Kinzinger. You guys did that. You guys did that in the
blue.
Sergeant Gonell. Yes, sir.
Mr. Kinzinger. I want to say that is the mission of this
Committee. We may have our deep differences on other policy
issues, but we are all Americans today, and we thank you for
holding that line.
Officer Dunn. Congressman, if I may? If I may respond to
Congressman----
Mr. Kinzinger. Please.
Officer Dunn. When you asked about the armed part, when the
officers--assumed officers--showed me what appeared to be a
police badge, I don't know too many police officers--this is
just me being a police officer for 13 years--that carry their
badge and don't carry a gun with them.
We look on their hips. You see a print. I didn't see that
it was a gun, but a reasonable police officer will believe that
that's a gun on their hip.
Mr. Kinzinger. Just to quickly be specific, a print is
basically what looks like the outline of a gun?
Officer Dunn. That's correct.
Mr. Kinzinger. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you, witnesses.
Chairman Thompson. Thank you.
The gentleman yields back.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California, Mr.
Schiff.
Mr. Schiff. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I was on the House floor from the beginning of the joint
session until the attack and evacuation by the Capitol Police,
and I want to thank you. I'm convinced that one of the lives
you saved that day might very well have been my own. We are all
greatly in your debt. You are all heroes.
Sergeant Gonell, Representative Lofgren asked you about
your experience, and I won't ask you to repeat that. I would
like the public to see, from your perspective, some video, if
you're comfortable with my showing it?
Sergeant Gonell. Yes, that's fine.
Mr. Schiff. If the clerk could roll the video, please.
Crowd. [unintelligible]
Voice. You're going to die tonight.
Voice. You gotta lock `em together. Here, like this. Arms through
these shields. You know how to put your arms? Do we have a hard platoon
guy here?
Voice. Yeah.
Voice. Show them how to lock the shields together and hold the
shields.
Voice. We need an avenue of escape, so wait to lock this one in. Go
ahead.
Crowd. [unintelligible]
Voice. Gas! Gas! Gas! Gas! Gas! Gas!
Crowd. [unintelligible]
Voice. Back up! No, stop! Stop! Stop! Stop!
Crowd. [unintelligible]
Mr. Schiff. Sergeant, in that video, one of the first
things you hear is someone saying, ``You're going to die
tonight.'' You described in your opening statement being
crushed by rioters. You could feel yourself losing oxygen,
thinking this was how your life was going to end, trampled to
death defending the Capitol.
It's hard for any of us to understand what you went through
even though we were there. It's even harder, I think, for
people around the country to understand what that was like.
Can you tell us what you were thinking when you were losing
oxygen and thought that might be the end?
Sergeant Gonell. My rationale there and the way I was
thinking, like we can't let these people in, no matter what,
even if it costs my life. That bloody hand that you saw, that's
me in there. Both my hands were bleeding bad. At no point in
time did I stop, to consider to stop, because the attacks were
so relentless. I was thinking I need to survive this, if
possible, but I'm willing to sacrifice myself to prevent the
attackers from coming in.
I swore an oath to protect the public, the Members of
Congress, and the United States Constitution and whatnot.
That's what I was doing that day, regardless of my personal
safety, along with everybody else who was there that day.
They were calling us traitors, even though they were the
ones committing the treasonous act that day. It is devastating
and demoralizing for people, whoever party it is, to call this
attack and continue to minimize it like nothing happened. It
was an attempted coup that was happening at the Capitol that
day. If it had been another country, the United States would
have sent help.
People need to understand the severity of, and the
magnitude of, the event that was happening that day. We were
all fighting for our lives, to give them--to give you guys--a
chance to go home to your family, to escape. Now the same
people who we helped, the same people who we gave them the
borrowed time to get to safety, now they're attacking us.
They're attacking our characters. They're attacking Officer
Harry's character, people who never served in the military or
in law enforcement. It's a disgrace.
My actions that day was to save you guys, regardless of my
personal safety. I still continue to want to do that today,
tomorrow, and as long as I'm permitted to do it, and if it is
demanded of myself to do that in the future.
Mr. Schiff. Sergeant, this obviously had a deep impact on
you, all of you, but it's also had a big impact on your family.
You described how, when you got home, you couldn't even hug
your wife because you had chemicals all over you. You wanted to
go back. It seems like, no sooner had you gotten home, you
wanted to go back.
Sergeant Gonell. Yes, sir.
Mr. Schiff. I think I read that you said you felt guilty.
Did your wife want you to go back?
Sergeant Gonell. No.
Mr. Schiff. Why did you go back, and what was your
conversation with her about that?
Sergeant Gonell. After I took a shower, I spent about 10
minutes hugging her and my son. I told her, ``I've got to get
some sleep because I've got to go back to work.''
She said, ``No, you're not. You're hurt.''
I said, ``No. I'm still able to continue to carry out my
duties.'' By 8 o'clock, I was already on my way back despite
her concerns for my safety.
My sense of duty for the country, for the Constitution, at
that time was bigger than even my love for my wife and my son.
I put that ahead.
For me, it's confounding that some people who have sworn an
oath, elected officials, including people in the military, that
I seen at the Lower West Terrace fighting against me, they
swore an oath, and they're forgetting about the oath. They're
not putting the country before the party, and that's what
bothers me the most because I, as a former soldier, I know what
that inherits, that oath, and I'm still willing to do that.
We've got people right now in front of the Justice
Department asking to release some of the very same people even
though we are testifying about the trauma and the agony,
everything that happened to us. It's pathetic, and they
shouldn't be elected officials anymore.
Mr. Schiff. Officer Dunn, you described talking to your
fellow Black officer about what you went through and
experiencing those racial epithets. You asked a question, I
think, that I've been haunted by ever since: Is this America?
I'm very interested to know your thoughts on the answer to that
question.
Is this America, what you saw?
Officer Dunn. Well, thank you for your question.
You know, I've done a few interviews before about my
experiences that day, and I said that it was a war that we
fought, and a war is composed of a bunch of different battles.
Everybody, even sitting at this table, fought a different
battle that day, but it was all for the same war.
As Black officers, I believe we fought a different battle
also. The fact that we had our race attacked and just because
of the way we look, you know, to answer your question, frankly,
I guess it is America. It shouldn't be, but I guess that's the
way that things are.
I don't condone it. I don't like it, but, I mean, if you
look at our history, of American history, things are--countries
existed because they beat--they won a war, or colonies and
State lines and boundaries exist because of violence and wars
like--so I guess it sounds silly, but I guess it is American.
But it's not the side of America that I like. It's not the
side that any of us here represent. We represent the good side
of America, the people that actually believe in decency--human
decency. We appeal to just the good in people. That's what we
want to see.
Whether we disagree with how they vote on a bill about
infrastructure, everybody wants the right thing, people to do
okay.
So, that's why I'm glad to see this Committee composed of
Republican Members also. So, that's encouraging. It's
encouraging. So, that's the side of America that I say, yes,
this is America. This is the side that I like and the side that
I acknowledge.
Mr. Schiff. Officer, thank you. I believe in this country,
and I believe in it because of people like you, who understand
what the flag means and what our Constitution means and risk
their lives to defend it.
I'd like to think, as Amanda Gorman so eloquently said,
that we're not broken; we're just unfinished. Because, if we're
no longer committed to a peaceful transfer of power after
elections if our side doesn't win, then God help us. If we deem
elections illegitimate merely because they didn't go our way
rather than trying to do better the next time, then God help
us. If we're so driven by bigotry and hate that we attack our
fellow citizens as traitors if they're born in another country
or they don't look like us, then God help us.
But I have faith because of folks like you.
Adam, I didn't expect this would be quite so emotional
either, but it must be an Adam thing today.
But I'm so grateful to all of you.
With that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
Chairman Thompson. The gentleman yields back.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California, Mr.
Aguilar.
Mr. Aguilar. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and Members of the
Committee.
Gentlemen, like my colleagues, I want to extend my
gratitude and appreciation for your service on January 6th and
since then, what you've had to go through.
I was on the House floor, like my colleagues, on the 6th
when I was told that a violent mob had breached the Capitol.
It's because of your service--it's because of you and your
colleagues--that we're here today, because you were literally
the last line of physical defense, laying your life on the line
for democracy.
My time will be limited, so I'll be asking questions of
Officer Hodges and Sergeant Gonell, primarily about the weapons
that you observed and how they were used.
Officer Hodges, you were in a unique position because you
were down Constitution. You were closer to the White House to
start, as you indicated in your testimony. During the morning
and the early afternoon on the 6th, what did you hear
specifically about guns and explosives that had been discovered
by your fellow officers?
Officer Hodges. I was listening on the radio to our gun
recovery unit, working the crowd. What we usually try to do is
wait for the crowd to disperse before making arrests. That way,
we don't set off the crowd, set off a riot. So, I think they
may have identified people of interest that they never got a
chance to address. They were working the crowd to try and
confirm reports of firearms on certain people, but it's also
difficult to do given the nature of the crowd and how many
there were.
When I heard our EOD confirm the existence of a device,
there was only one thing it could be. You know, explosives.
But, in 42, we had our own objective, our own mission, so we
would scan the crowd, but these people--they know how to
conceal their weapons. So, on a big avenue like Constitution,
it's difficult to detect the print or, if it's in a backpack,
there is really not much you can do.
But we continue to scan the crowd and find what we could,
but mostly it was up to our other units to make those
discoveries.
Mr. Aguilar. In response to Representative Cheney, you
talked about the gear that the individuals were wearing. So,
combined with what you saw visually with what you had heard on
the radio about guns, that all kind of led you to give pause
about the next few hours, correct?
Officer Hodges. Absolutely. You know, once we got to the
Capitol and we were fighting, I was wondering, how many more
bombs are there? What's the trigger? Is it going to be a cell
phone? Is it on a timer? How many guns are there in this crowd?
If we start firing, is that the signal to them to set off the
explosives, however many there are in the city? Is that the
signal for them to break out their firearms and shoot back?
So, that's the reason why I didn't shoot anyone and I
imagine why many others didn't, because, like I said before,
there were over 9,000 of the terrorists out there with an
unknown number of firearms, and a couple hundred of us maybe.
So, if that turned into a firefight, we would have lost,
and this was a fight we couldn't afford to lose.
Mr. Aguilar. I want to play a video, and I'd ask that
everyone watching pay attention specifically to the weapons the
rioters were using. You can hear someone yell, ``Get your
machete.'' You can see officers being attacked with flagpoles,
flares, and gas canisters.
If we could roll the video.
Police Radio Transmission. We're still taking rocks, bottles, and
pieces of flag and metal pole.
Police Radio Transmission. Cruiser 50, the crowd is using munitions
against us. They have bear spray in the crowd. Bear spray in the crowd.
Voice. [unintelligible]
Voice. Get your machete. Get your machete.
Voice. [unintelligible]
Voice. Pull back. Pull back.
Voice. [unintelligible]
Mr. Aguilar. Sergeant Gonell, in the video, we just saw
someone throw a large speaker. Was that directed your way?
Sergeant Gonell. I was further inside. That was afterward,
toward the end--before they got clear. When they threw the
speaker at me I was further inside the tunnel.
Mr. Aguilar. What types of weapons did you see used against
your fellow officers?
Sergeant Gonell. Police shields, police baton, the
sledgehammer that you saw on that video, flagpoles, tasers,
pepper spray, bear spray, rebars, bats, PVC pipes, copper
pipes, rocks, table legs broken down, furniture broken down,
the guardrails for the inauguration stage, cones, four-by-four,
any weapons, any items that they could get their hands on that
day.
Mr. Aguilar. You were further down the corridor, but a
speaker was thrown at you, and it hit your foot. Is that
correct?
Sergeant Gonell. Correct, sir.
Mr. Aguilar. We have a photo----
Sergeant Gonell. It was thrown my way, and then, when it
landed, it hit somebody else, and it hit my foot.
Mr. Aguilar. I think we have the photo of your foot here as
well that we'd like to show.
Sergeant Gonell. That is correct.
Mr. Aguilar. Can you tell me how you're doing? You
mentioned in your opening statement about your continued
physical therapy related to the foot. Can you tell me how
you're doing?
Sergeant Gonell. The foot, I had several conditions--one is
fusion on No. 1 metatarsal, tarsal--metatarsal. Then there was
the hammer toe as a result of the hit. Then the second and
third digit also got damage. In order to fix one, they need to
correct the big toe to stabilize. If not, later on in the
future, I would have had the same problem returning.
It is very painful. With a lot of patience and
determination that I had gone through, I still have the same
problems in terms of pain and stiffness, whatnot.
The doctor last week, on Tuesday, told me that I'm going to
need surgery on my shoulder because I have a labrum tear that
has not healed even more than 6 months later. Possibly my
rotator cuff also is going to need some work.
So, you're talking about 8 months to a year more of
physical treatment and rehab.
Mr. Aguilar. Sergeant, you're an immigrant from the
Dominican Republic, a naturalized U.S. citizen, and you
mentioned how individuals had zeroed in on your race that day.
Sergeant Gonell. Yes, sir.
Mr. Aguilar. Can you tell me how that made you feel?
Sergeant Gonell. Before, or right after, MPD arrived with
the fluorescent mountain bike unit, I was on the front line,
and apparently they seen--even through my mask--they saw my
skin color and said, ``You're not even American.''
Regardless whether I was in the military, they don't know
that, but they yelling and saying all these things to me. I
mean, when I heard that, I wasn't even thinking about any
racial stuff. I was like, ``Okay. You don't know that for a
fact,'' so I'm not even entertaining that.
But it's--just like Officer Harry Dunn, it takes time for
you to process that, and you only realize what was happening
after you go back and see it from a different point in time
because I only saw that recently. But, for me, I wasn't even
thinking of it. I'm there to stop them regardless. I'm not
thinking what they were yelling in terms of my skin color or my
race. I know I'm an American former soldier and a police
officer. I didn't take that into account when I was defending
all of you guys.
Mr. Aguilar. Officer Hodges, you characterized the attack
on the Capitol as a white nationalist insurrection.
Can you describe what you saw that led you to label the
attack that way?
Officer Hodges. The crowd was overwhelmingly white males,
usually a little bit older, middle-aged, older, but some
younger. I think, out of the entire time I was there, I saw
just two women and two Asian males. Everyone else was white
males.
They didn't say anything especially xenophobic to me, but
to my Black colleagues and anyone who is not white, and some of
them would try to recruit me. One of them came up to me and
said, ``Are you my brother?''
There are many, many known organizations with ties to white
supremacy who had a presence there, you know, like Three
Percenters, Oath Keepers, that kind of thing. Everyone I've
ever--people who associate with Donald Trump are, I find, more
likely to subscribe to that kind of belief system.
Mr. Aguilar. I want to thank the four of you for taking the
very difficult step of sharing your stories and your
recollections of the threats and violence that you endured. No
one should have to experience what you went through.
This Committee will continue its work to give a complete
accounting of what happened, to protect further officers, and
to amplify the stories that you've shared today.
Thank you so much for being here.
I yield back, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Thompson. Thank you. The gentleman yields back.
The Chair recognizes the gentlelady from Florida, Mrs.
Murphy.
Mrs. Murphy. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you to the witnesses for your testimony today, for
your bravery on January 6th, and for your service to our
country.
I know all of you endured a great deal on January 6th, and
I know we've watched a lot of difficult video in this testimony
so far, but I hope it's okay with you if I show a brief video
of what Officer Hodges experienced that day.
Can you please cue the video?
Voices. [unintelligible]
Voice. Hold it, baby. Hold it, baby.
Voices. [unintelligible]
Voice. Hold it, baby.
Voice. Back up! Back up!
Crowd. [screaming]
Voice. Interlock the shields. Interlock shields.
Voice. Watch out! Watch out!
Voice. Interlock the shields. Shields!
Crowd. Heave-ho. Heave-ho. Heave-ho.
Officer Hodges. [screaming]
Mrs. Murphy. Officer Hodges, I know that must have been
difficult to watch, but I really think it's important for the
American people to see that because that's the beginning of the
kind of accountability that this Committee is committed to in
order for us to do what you said, moving forward as a country.
You know, January 6th was an attack on our democracy. It
was an attack on the peaceful transfer of power, and it was an
attack on this Capitol Building. But it was also an attack on
real people. Most people don't know this, and I don't think
even you know this, but your actions had a profound impact on
me.
So, at 3 p.m. on January 6th, while you were holding back
the mob at the Lower West Terrace entrance, I was holed up with
Congresswoman Kathleen Rice in a small office about 40 paces
from the tunnel that you all were in. That's about from the
distance where I'm sitting here on the dais to that back wall.
From that office, in close proximity to where you all held
the line, I listened to you struggle. I listened to you yelling
out to one another. I listened to you care for one another,
directing people back to the makeshift eyewash station that was
at the end of our hall.
Then I listened to people coughing, having difficulty
breathing. But I watched you and heard you all get back into
the fight. I think Congresswoman Rice and I were the only
Members of Congress to be down there on that Lower West
Terrace.
You know, we had taken refuge in that office because we
thought for sure being in the basement at the heart of the
Capitol was the safest place we could be, and it turned out we
ended up at the center of the storm.
Officer Fanone, you had said, you know, you were 250 feet
off of that tunnel, and you felt certain that they were going
to kill you. Imagine if they had caught the two Members of
Congress that were just 40 feet from where you all were.
I know, Sergeant Gonell and Officer Hodges, you both said
that you didn't realize that other parts of the Capitol had
been breached, but you really felt like you were the last line
of defense. Well, I'm telling you that you were our last line
of defense.
During the exact period of time, Officer Hodges, in that
video where you were sacrificing your body to hold that door,
it gave Congresswoman Rice and I and the Capitol Police
Officers who had been sent to extract us the freedom of
movement on that hallway to escape down the other end of that
hallway. I shudder to think about what would have happened had
you not held that line.
You know, I have two young children. I have a 10-year-old
son and a 7-year-old daughter, and they're the light of my
life. The reason I was able to hug them again was because of
the courage that you and your fellow officers showed that day.
So, just a really heartfelt thank you.
I think it's important for everybody, though, to remember
that the main reason rioters didn't harm any Members of
Congress was because they didn't encounter any Members of
Congress. They didn't encounter any Members of Congress because
law enforcement officers did your jobs that day, and you did it
well.
I think, without you, what would have been a terrible and--
what was a terrible and tragic day--would have been even more
terrible and more tragic.
So, just very grateful for all of you.
Now, I'd like to talk a little bit about that video. You've
talked a little bit about it in your opening statement, but can
you walk us through what is happening in that scene? My
understanding is that is a mix of your body camera as well as
video from other vantage points.
Officer Hodges. That's correct. At the beginning, you see
me walking into the Capitol. That was after we were driven off
of the West Terrace. I think you see me spit on the floor
unfortunately. I was trying to clear my lungs and mouth of all
the CS and OC. You see me preparing my gas mask, donning it,
ready to get back out there.
I followed the noise to the tunnel where it was just, you
know, wall-to-wall people, packed, fighting with everything
they had. It was full of OC and CS gas at the time, and I
believe that the smoke was from a fire extinguisher. You could
see all the residue on the officers who were there.
It's like I said before. You know, they outnumbered us 50-
something to 1, so it didn't matter how many we defeated. We
just had to hold on. We couldn't let anyone through, and they
always had essentially an infinite number of replacements.
They'd say, you know, ``We need fresh patriots up here,'' and
there would be more.
So, we just had to hold until someone came to help.
Like I said, once I got out to the front, I didn't want any
more pressure on the officers behind me, so I tried to insert
myself to where I could use the door frame, brace myself, and
push forward so I could take back more territory.
Unfortunately, that backfired.
So, once we lost ground, I was unable to retreat. I was
crushed up against the door frame, and, in my most vulnerable
moments, the man in front of me took advantage and beat me in
the head; ripped off my gas mask, straining my neck, skull;
split my lip open; just everything he could.
At that point, I recognized that, if I stayed there, then I
was going to pass out from lack of oxygen or get dragged out
into the crowd and end up like Fanone.
So, I called for help. You know, I tried to make it clear
that, you know, my position was untenable, I had to fall back.
Thankfully the other officers heard that, were able to get me
out of there, and to the back where I recuperated as best I
could before I got back out there again.
Mrs. Murphy. Well, it's clear that you suffered immense
pain from the assault. It's clear that you were outnumbered,
and yet you just said you got back out there again. Tell me
what's worth all of that pain? What was worth it? What were you
fighting for that day?
Officer Hodges. Democracy. You were 40 feet away, 40 yards,
whatever. Especially with the razor-thin margins of Democrats
and Republicans in the House and Senate, if any single one
person was kidnapped or killed, which I have no doubt in my
mind was what they intended, that would affect the outcome of
legislation and all your duties for years to come. And that's
just one person. What if, you know, more than one person? The
difference would be even greater than what should be and will
be.
And obviously, for each other. You know, your immediate
concern is the well-being of your colleagues, the other
officers who were there fighting beside me. I think I can speak
for everyone when I say we worry about each other more than
ourselves. That's just in our nature. It's part of why you
become a police officer.
So, like when Fanone said he was trying to find out who
needs help and no one would volunteer, that's just an example
of that kind of a mindset that we have. So, it was for
democracy; it was for the men and women of the House and
Senate; it was for each other; and it was for the future of the
country.
Mrs. Murphy. Thank you, Officer Hodges, and thank you all
for defending democracy, and I appreciate your testimony, and I
appreciate your continued service.
With that, I yield back.
Chairman Thompson. The gentlelady yields back.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Maryland, Mr.
Raskin.
Mr. Raskin. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Sergeant Gonell, Officer Fanone, Officer Hodges, Officer
Dunn, you are great law enforcement officers and a hero to law
enforcement officers across the country. You are great public
servants. You are a hero to public servants across the country.
But you are great Americans, and you are heroes to all of
America. Long after you are gone, you will be remembered as
heroes to our country, along with your fellow officers.
Those who attacked you and those who beat you are fascist
traitors to our country and will be remembered forever as
fascist traitors.
Now, Officer Dunn, I've got to start with you, because
you're my constituent, and you are the pride of Maryland today
because of the way you stood up for the Capitol and for the
Congress and for our democracy.
But you said something fascinating in your testimony. You
said you'd never seen anybody physically assault a single
officer before in your 13 years on the force, much less
thousands and thousands of people attacking hundreds of
officers. So, how did you experience that when it first
happened?
Officer Dunn. So, with regards to the never seeing, I'm
sure I've seen videos of officers being attacked and people
resisting arrest, but to clarify, it's never been the assault
on the scale that we have seen like that before. I just wanted
to clarify that.
Can you repeat your question for me?
Mr. Raskin. Well, it leads to my next one actually. You
made a really interesting point. You said you'd seen protests
for many, many years. You'd seen even civil disobedience for
many years. There's an effort today to portray the events of
January 6th like some kind of resurrection of Dr. King's march
on Washington in 1963, you know.
I've seen a lot of protests here too. I've seen the March
for Our Lives that the young people did about gun violence. I
see people marching for D.C. Statehood, arguing for their
rights to representation in Congress, and I've seen civil
disobedience. But was this like any of those rallies or marches
or demonstrations you'd ever seen? If not, what was different
about it?
Officer Dunn. So, the marches that you--the protests that
you specifically talked about, I'll go a step further and talk
about the ones that had the potential to be not-so peaceful.
You had the Million Man March rally, the 20th anniversary of
it. There was a lot of opposition to that. You had the Klan
that came up here. You had people that were pro-guns that
wanted to come up here. So, all of those had the potential to
be very violent and, frankly, quite deadly, but they did not.
This wasn't the first time that, if I can just use this
quote, that the MAGA people came up here to the Capitol before.
They were in the District of Columbia before. There were some
skirmishes, but it was never the attempt to overthrow
democracy. I think this was maybe their second or third time
that they had come up, on January 6th, and even then, as
belligerent as they were, it didn't account to this violence.
So, the only difference that I see in that is that they had
marching orders, so to say. When people feel emboldened by
people in power, they assume that they're right. Like, one of
the scariest things about January 6th is that the people that
were there, even to this day, think that they were right. They
think that they were right, and that makes for a scary recipe
for the future of this country.
I think that's why it's very important that you all take
this Committee seriously and get to the bottom of why this
happened, and let's make it never happen again.
Mr. Raskin. Thank you.
Officer Fanone, I think you've given our Committee our
marching orders today, which is to hold the line. You held the
line, and now we've got to hold the line. So, I want to thank
you for that. If we show a fraction of the courage and the
valor that you all demonstrated on January 6th, then we will
hold the line in this Committee.
But I want to ask you about holding the line. I want to go
back to this question of weapons so we can clear this up,
because there are still some people who are saying that the
insurrectionists were unarmed. I wonder what your reaction is
to that, because we've heard about--well, first of all, rampant
baseball bats, lead pipes, Confederate battle flags and so on,
and what about the question of firearms. So, what is your
reaction generally to this proposition that they weren't armed?
Officer Fanone. First and foremost, I would say that the
implements that you just described are most certainly weapons.
With regards to firearms, I know that in the days immediately
before the January 6th insurrection and January 6th itself,
firearms were recovered by law enforcement from individuals in
Washington, DC, who were believed to have been participants or
at least those who were planning to participate in the January
6th insurrection. Yes, those were firearms, handguns, and such.
Mr. Raskin. Forgive me for these questions, but I've got to
ask you, apparently in some nether regions of the internet it's
being said that you, Officer Fanone, maybe were mistaken for
Antifa and that's why you were nearly beaten to death that day
and carried into the crowd. Is there any way you think you were
mistaken for Antifa?
Officer Fanone. Well, I was in full uniform. I was, like I
said, wearing a uniform shirt adorned with the Metropolitan
Police Department's patch. I had my badge on, until somebody
ripped it off my chest. I do not believe I was mistaken for a
member of Antifa.
Mr. Raskin. You mentioned in your testimony that there's
some people who would prefer that all of this go away, that we
not have an investigation, let's let bygones be bygones. But
you seem pretty determined to get the country to focus on this.
Why is that so important to you?
Officer Fanone. Well, first and foremost, because of the
actions of officers who responded there that day, specifically
from my department, but also from the U.S. Capitol Police and
some of the surrounding jurisdictions. You know, downplaying
the events of that day is also downplaying those officers'
response.
Like Sergeant Gonell said, and some of the officers, part
of the healing process from recovering from the traumatic
events of that day is having the Nation accept the fact that
that day happened.
Mr. Raskin. Some people were saying that, as public
servants, you all should not be speaking out; that cops,
firefighters, teachers should just serve the public but should
not speak out as citizens. What do you think about that,
Officer Fanone?
Officer Fanone. Well, I disagree. I've been outspoken
throughout my career, never to this magnitude. As an undercover
officer and a narcotics officer, I've preferred obscurity in
the public eye. However, this event is something that we have
not experienced in our lifetimes.
Mr. Raskin. Officer Hodges, I read your testimony
carefully. I hope every American reads your testimony. But I
noted that you referred to ``terrorists'' or ``terrorism'' 15
different times to describe the people who were assaulting
officers, dragging them through the crowd, stealing their
weapons, smashing them over the head, gouging eyes, and so on.
However, some of our colleagues have been calling the
violent insurrectionists not terrorists but tourists. Why do
you call the attackers terrorists, and what do you think about
our colleagues who think we should call them tourists?
Officer Hodges. Well, if that's what American tourists are
like, I can see why foreign countries don't like American
tourists. But I can see why someone would take issue with the
title of ``terrorist.'' It's gained a lot of notoriety in our
vocabulary in the past few decades, and we like to believe
that, no, that couldn't happen here, no domestic terrorism, no
home-grown threats.
But I came prepared. U.S. Code Title 18, part 1, chapter
113, B as in Brown, section 2331: The term ``domestic
terrorism'' means activities that involve acts dangerous to
human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the
United States or of any State; and B, appear to be intended to
intimidate or coerce a civilian population; or to influence the
policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or to
affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction,
assassination, or kidnapping, and occur primarily within the
territorial jurisdiction of the United States.
Mr. Raskin. Well, thank you for that.
I had one final question for Sergeant Gonell, but it looks
like my time is up, so I yield back to you.
Chairman Thompson. The Chair will give the gentleman an
opportunity to ask his question.
Mr. Raskin. Thank you for your indulgence, Mr. Chairman.
Are there questions, Sergeant Gonell, that you hope we can
answer as a Committee about the causes of the attack, the
nature of the attack, and what happened in the weeks prior to
January 6th as we develop our work plan moving forward?
Sergeant Gonell. I think, in my opinion, we do need to get
to the bottom of who incited, who brought those people here,
why the people were made to believe that the process was
rigged, along those lines.
But going back to what Hodges says, I had, in my 15 years
of service, I had given a tour to thousands of people at the
Capitol, as an officer, as a sergeant, and even in plainclothes
uniform. At no point in time did I ever get attacked.
I don't know how you call an attack on police officers a
tour. When you see me bleeding, my hands, when you see all the
officers getting concussions, getting maimed, getting fingers
shattered, eye gouged, it's undescribable. You're defending the
undefensible, and you demoralize, not just the rank and file,
but the future recruits that we are trying to get.
What do you think people considering becoming law
enforcement officers think when they see elected leaders
downplaying this? Why would I risk my life for them when they
don't even care? They don't care what happened to the public.
They don't care what happened to the officers. All they care is
their job, their position.
If they don't have the courage to put their job on the line
because they want to feed some lies or whatnot to feed
somebody's ego or a ``like'' for a tweet, that's not putting
the country first.
We are willing to risk our life, but at least make it worth
it. We do that regardless, whether you're a Republican,
Democrat, Independent. We don't care. When radio call or
dispatch sends a call, we don't ask, ``Hey, by the way, before
I treat you, before I take care of you, are you a Republican or
Democrat or Independent?'' We don't. We just respond.
Normally, under any other circumstances, we just stay shut.
We don't talk about politics. We don't talk about what happened
to us. But this is bigger than that. You downplay an event that
happened to the country itself, to democracy, to the rule of
law.
You don't care about people who claim that they are pro-law
enforcement, pro-police, pro-law and order, and then yet when
they have the chance and the opportunity to do something about
it, to hold people accountable, you don't. You pass the bucket
like nothing happened.
It's so devastating for recruiting. Yes, we need bodies
right now, but this makes it harder, especially when we're
trying to attract the talent that we need, people who are
willing to risk their lives to protect you guys.
Mr. Raskin. Well, thank you very much, Sergeant Gonell.
Mr. Chairman, you know, the question was asked by Officer
Dunn: Is this America? I think these gentlemen embody the
spirit of America, and we must do justice to their sacrifice in
the work of our Committee.
I yield back.
Chairman Thompson. No question about it.
The Chair recognizes the gentlelady from Virginia, Mrs.
Luria.
Mrs. Luria. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I want to say to the four officers here today that I'm
grateful for your service, for you sharing your stories, for
your willingness to speak to the Members of this Committee and
to the American people about the horrific things that you
experienced on January 6th, truly experienced in defense of our
democracy.
Sergeant Gonell, we talked earlier, and you mentioned the
many times that you took the oath, both to become a naturalized
citizen, to join the Army, to serve as an officer of the
Capitol Police force.
Officer Hodges, you mentioned as well as a National
Guardsman and as a police officer. And something I can't share
with you, the horrific experiences that you had that day, but
all of us having taken that oath, and I took it when I was 17
and joined the Navy and over 2 decades.
Sergeant Gonell, when you mentioned and compared this
earlier to the experiences that you had in Iraq, that in a war
zone you didn't feel like you felt that day, can you share that
with us in a little more detail what was going through your
head, your thoughts about what you had experienced defending
our Nation on foreign soil and then being here in the heart of
our Nation in our Capitol and being assaulted the way that you
were?
Sergeant Gonell. It is very disappointing in terms of, like
when I was at the Lower West Terrace, and I saw many officers
fighting for their lives against people, rioters, our own
citizens turning against us--people who had the thin blue line
on their chest, or another rioter with a Marine hat that says
``veteran,'' or any other type of military paraphernalia or
whatnot. And then, they're accusing us of betraying the oath
when they're the ones betraying the oath.
When I was in Iraq, the sense of camaraderie, it didn't
matter whether you were white, Black, Spanish, Middle Eastern,
we all knew what we were fighting for. My experience there--
there were times that yes, I was scared of going on convoys or
doing my supply mission to local Iraqi population, because at
any point we were possibly ambushed or getting shot at. We knew
the risk.
But here it was simultaneously over, over, and over, our
own citizens; why they were attacking us, because we're
defending the very institution that they are claiming that
they're trying to save.
Mrs. Luria. Thank you for sharing that. I know it's been
difficult today as we've watched these images from the Capitol,
but I did want to share one more video. But this time I would
ask people, you could even like close your eyes and listen
without watching, just listen to what is being said as these
brave men were being overrun.
Voice. Traitors, how do you live with yourself?
Voice. Die! Die, traitors!
Voice. You should be mad too. Fucking traitors!
Voice. You're on the wrong side of freedom. You're on the wrong
side!
Crowd. Fuck-the-blue! Fuck-the-blue! Fuck-the-blue!
Voice. Fuck you guys! You can't even call yourselves American. You
broke your fucking oath today. 1776!
Voice. You're a traitor.
Crowd. Traitor! Traitor! Traitor! Traitor! Traitor!
Mrs. Luria. So, Officer Fanone, I wanted to turn to you.
When you hear the rioters chanting things in this video, things
like, F the blue, you can't even call yourself an American, you
are on the wrong side of freedom, can you share how that makes
you feel?
Officer Fanone. Again, I think--you know, my response that
day--and at no point that day did I ever think about the
politics of that crowd. Even the things that were being said
did not resonate in the midst of that chaos. But what did
resonate was the fact that thousands of Americans were
attacking police officers who were simply there doing their
job, and that they were there to disrupt Members of Congress
who were doing their job.
You know, in retrospect now, thinking about those events
and the things that were said, it's disgraceful that members of
our Government, I believe, were responsible for inciting that
behavior and then continue to propagate those statements,
things like, you know, this was 1776, or that police officers
who fought risked their lives and some who gave theirs were red
coats and traitors. To me, those individuals are representative
of the worst that America has to offer.
Mrs. Luria. Thank you.
Thinking about the events that happened on January 6th and
thinking about what led up to that day, I was reminded of a
quote, a quote that I frequently heard used from Hemingway that
asks, you know, how do these things happen? How do things like
this happen? That quote, it's very short. It just says,
``gradually and then suddenly.'' I think that our Founders
understood that our Republic was very fragile and it would be
tested, and it was tested here on January 6th.
In 20 years, I don't want to look back on this moment and
think that we saw these signs coming gradually, that these were
signs that we ignored--signs that people thought were just
isolated incidents or signs of things that we thought could
never happen. I don't want to say to my daughter or, Sergeant
Gonell, to your son or, Officer Fanone, to your 4 daughters, I
don't want any of us to say that this happened gradually and
then suddenly, and that some were just too worried about
winning the next election to do something about it or too
cowardly to seek the truth.
So, that's the task before this Committee. I am sure that
we'll be attacked by cowards--by those in the arena, those only
in the stands--and that we'll be attacked by people who are
more concerned about their own power than about the good of
this country.
But my oath, your oath, all of our oaths here today to
protect and defend the Constitution against all enemies,
foreign and domestic, will be our guiding light for this
investigation.
As Officer Dunn said earlier, you said, ``we can never
again allow our democracy to be put in peril.'' So, I will say
that we will persevere, we will do what is right, and our
Nation is truly ever grateful to you who held that line. Your
actions on January 6th could very well have been what saved our
democracy, and we thank you.
Mr. Chair, I yield back.
Chairman Thompson. Thank you.
The gentleman from Maryland asked a question in terms of
what you would expect this Committee to do in our body of work.
Sergeant Gonell responded, but we didn't give the other three
members an opportunity to kind of tell us, based on the last
202 days of your life, what would you task this Committee in
its body of work? What would you like to see us do?
Officer Fanone, I'll start with you.
Officer Fanone. Yes, sir. So, while I understand that there
have been investigations into the events of January 6th, my
understanding is that those have addressed some of the micro-
level concerns, that being the immediate security of the
Capitol Building itself, also the force mobilization of
officers that day, planning and preparation, and training and
equipment concerns.
A lot of, you know, the events of January 6th and the days
preceding, I guess it's interesting, and from a law enforcement
perspective, as a police officer, a lot of these events
happened in plain sight. We had violent political rhetoric. We
had the organization of a rally whose title was ``Stop the
Steal,'' and that that rally occurred on January 6th, which I
don't believe was a coincidence that on January 6th Members of
Congress, you here in the room today, were charged with
tallying the electoral votes and certifying the election of our
President.
In the academy, we learn about time, place, and
circumstance in investigating potential crimes and those who
may have committed them. So, the time, the place, and the
circumstances of that rally, that rhetoric, and those events,
to me, leads in the direction of our President and other
Members not only of Congress and the Senate.
But that is what I am looking for is an investigation into
those actions and activities which may have resulted in the
events of January 6th, and also whether or not there was
collaboration between those Members, their staff, and these
terrorists.
Chairman Thompson. Thank you very much.
Officer Hodges.
Officer Hodges. I think Fanone hit the nail on the head
there. As patrol officers, we can only deal with the crimes
that happen on the streets, the misdemeanors, and occasionally
the violent felonies. But you guys are the only ones we've got
to deal with crimes that occur above us.
I need you guys to address if anyone in power had a role in
this, if anyone in power coordinated or aided or abetted or
tried to downplay, tried to prevent the investigation of this
terrorist attack, because we can't do it. We're not allowed to.
I think a majority of Americans are really looking forward to
that as well.
Chairman Thompson. Thank you.
Officer Dunn.
Officer Dunn. Thank you, Chairman. There's been a sentiment
that's going around that says everybody's trying to make
January 6th political. Well, it's not a secret that it was
political. They literally were there to ``stop the steal.'' So,
when people say it shouldn't be political, it is. It was and it
is. There's no getting around that.
Telling the truth shouldn't be hard. Fighting on January
6th, that was hard. Showing up January 7th, that was hard. The
8th, the 9th, the 10th, all the way till today, that was hard.
When the fence came down, that was hard, when we lost our layer
of protection that we had. The fence came down and still
nothing has changed. Everything is different but nothing has
changed.
Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger are being lauded as
courageous heroes, and while I agree with that notion, why?
Because they told the truth? Why is telling the truth hard? I
guess in this America it is. Us four officers, we would do
January 6th all over again. We wouldn't stay home because we
knew what was going to happen; we would show up. That's
courageous. That's heroic.
So, what I ask from you all is to get to the bottom of what
happened, and that includes, like I echo the sentiments of all
of the other officers sitting here. I use an analogy to
describe what I want as a hit man. If a hit man is hired and he
kills somebody, the hit man goes to jail. But not only does the
hit man go to jail, but the person who hired them does. There
was an attack carried out on January 6th, and a hit man sent
them. I want you to get to the bottom of that.
Thank you.
Chairman Thompson. Well, thank you. Very powerful comments,
by the way.
Sergeant Gonell. Chairman Thompson?
Chairman Thompson. Yes.
Sergeant Gonell. If I may, I also would like for you guys
to give us the tools, or at least the things we need, to
succeed, to continue protecting you guys. I think that's
essential for you guys to provide us what we need in terms of
like financially. I don't know. I'm not part of the innuendo
about how that process works, but perhaps fortifying the
Capitol, that will help. I know we were literally desperate. If
we had that, that would have made a big difference on January
6th.
I know people want to keep this place open to the public as
much as possible, but there are things that we could do to
remediate that and also to reinforce entrances, whatnot. It's
hard, but it takes will. I could tell the Capitol has some
regulations, whatnot, but the time has passed. We still have
security measures from 20 years ago that have to go. We need to
reinvent the wheel and change that, but only you guys have the
power to authorize that. They won't do it unless you guys do.
The other thing is, we still are operating on certain
things that we could adjust, things that we were doing back
when 9/11 happened, we're still doing it today, even 6 months
after the attack on the Capitol. But only you, perhaps with the
Chief of Police, the new Chief of Police, which he seems
receptive to some of these changes, perhaps that would change.
But, just like Officer Dunn said, we're still doing things that
prior to January 6th we were doing and we're still doing it
today, and I think that should change.
Thank you.
Chairman Thompson. Well, again, I thank all of you for your
testimony. Obviously you are our real heroes in this situation.
What you did, in the Committee's opinion, helped preserve this
democracy. The time you gave for reinforcements to finally get
to the Capitol made the difference. So, for that we thank you.
But you carried out your duties at tremendous risk.
Now we on this Committee have a duty, however a far less
dangerous one, but an essential one, to get to the bottom of
what happened that day. We cannot allow what happened on
January 6th to ever happen again. We owe it to the American
people. We owe it to you and your colleagues. We will not fail,
I assure you, in that responsibility.
Thank you again to our witnesses as well as our
distinguished colleagues of the Committee.
Without objection, Members will be permitted 10 business
days to submit statements for the record, including opening
remarks and additional questions for witnesses to appropriate
staff at all meetings of the Select Committee.
Without objection, the Committee stands adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 1 p.m., the Committee was adjourned.]
A P P E N D I X
----------
Prepared Statement of Aquilino A. Gonell, Sergeant, U.S. Capitol Police
July 27, 2021
Chairman Thompson and Members of the Select Committee, thank you
for the opportunity to testify regarding the attack on the U.S. Capitol
on January 6, 2021. It is with honor, and a heavy heart, that I come
before you to tell you my story, from painful, first-hand experience,
of what happened that terrible day at the Capitol. I am providing this
testimony solely in my personal capacity, and not as a representative
of the U.S. Capitol Police.
It is imperative that the events of January 6th are fully
investigated, that Congress and the American people know the truth of
what actually occurred, and that all those responsible are held
accountable, particularly to ensure this horrific and shameful event in
our history never repeats itself. I applaud you for pursuing this
objective.
Even though there is overwhelming evidence to the contrary,
including hours and hours of video and photographic coverage, there is
a continuous and shocking attempt to ignore or try to destroy the truth
of what truly happened that day, and to whitewash the facts into
something other than what they unmistakably reveal: An attack on our
democracy by violent domestic extremists, and a stain on our history
and our moral standing here at home and abroad.
As a child in the Dominican Republic, I looked up to the United
States as a land of opportunity and a place to better myself. From the
moment I landed at JFK airport in 1992, I have strived to pursue that
goal. Thankfully, I have achieved that goal on many levels: I was the
first in my family to graduate college, join the U.S. Army, and become
a police officer.
On July 23, 1999, the day before my 21st birthday, I raised my hand
to give back to the country that gave me an opportunity to be anything
I wanted. At the time, I had already started basic training with the
Army Reserve. In fact, I have raised my hand several times in
ceremonies to pledge my commitment to ``Defend and Protect the
Constitution of the United States'': When I joined the Army Reserves,
when I was promoted to Sergeant while in the Army, during my
naturalization ceremony, when I reenlisted in the Army, when I joined
the United States Capitol Police, and last when I was promoted to
sergeant in the U.S. Capitol Police 3 years ago. I have always taken my
oath seriously.
On January 6, 2021, I fulfilled my oath once more: This time, to
defend the United States Capitol and Members of Congress carrying out
their Constitutional duties to certify the results of the November 2020
Presidential election.
To be honest, I did not recognize my fellow citizens who stormed
the Capitol on January 6, or the United States they claimed to
represent. When I was 25, and then a sergeant in the Army, I had
deployed to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom. From time to time, I
volunteered to travel on IED-infested roads to conduct supply missions
for U.S. and allied military forces and local Iraqi populations. But on
January 6, for the first time, I was more afraid working at the Capitol
than during my entire Army deployment to Iraq. In Iraq, we expected
armed violence, because we were in a war zone. But nothing in my
experience in the Army, or as a law enforcement officer, prepared me
for what we confronted on January 6.
The verbal assaults and disrespect we endured from the rioters were
bad enough. I was falsely accused of betraying my ``oath'' and 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 on the Lower West Terrace at the
Capitol, working with my fellow officers to prevent a breach and
restore order, the rioters called me a ``traitor,'' a ``disgrace,'' and
shouted that I (an Army veteran and police officer) should be
``executed''. Some of the rioters had the audacity to tell me that it
was ``nothing personal,'' that they would ``go through'' us to achieve
their goals as they were breaking metal barriers to use as weapons
against us. Others used more menacing language: ``If you shoot us, we
all have weapons, and we will shoot back'', or ``we will get our
guns''. ``We outnumber you, join us,'' they said. I also heard specific
threats on the lives of Speaker Nancy Pelosi and then-Vice President
Mike Pence.
But the physical violence we experienced was horrific and
devastating. My fellow officers and I were punched, pushed, kicked,
shoved, sprayed with chemical irritants, and even blinded with eye-
damaging lasers by a violent mob who apparently saw us law enforcement
officers, dedicated to ironically protecting them as U.S. citizens, as
an impediment in their attempted insurrection. The mob brought weapons
to try to accomplish their insurrectionist objectives, and they used
them against us. These weapons included hammers, rebars, knives, batons
and police shields taken by force, as well as, bear spray and pepper
spray. Some rioters wore tactical gear, including bulletproof vests and
gas masks. The rioters also forcibly took our batons and shields and
used them against us. I was particularly shocked at seeing the
insurrectionists violently attack us with the very American flag they
claimed they sought to protect. Based on the coordinated tactics we
observed and verbal commands we heard, it appeared that many of the
attackers had law enforcement or military experience.
The rioters were vicious and relentless. We found ourselves in a
violent battle in a desperate attempt to prevent a breach of the
Capitol by the entrance near the Inauguration Stage. Metropolitan DC
Police (``MPD'') officers were being pulled into the crowd as we tried
to push all the rioters back from breaching Capitol. In my attempt to
assist two MPD officers, I grabbed one officer by the back of the
collar and pulled him back to our police line. When I tried to help the
second officer, I fell on top of some police shields on the ground that
were slippery because of the pepper and bear spray. Rioters started to
pull me by my leg, by my shield, and by my gear straps on my left
shoulder. My survival instincts kicked in and I started kicking and
punching as I tried in vain to get the MPD officers' attention behind
and above me. But they could not help me because they were also being
attacked. I finally was able to hit a rioter who was grabbing me with
my baton and able to stand. I then continued to fend off new attackers
as they kept rotating after attacking us.
What we were subjected to that day was like something from a
medieval battlefield. We fought hand-to-hand and inch by inch to
prevent an invasion of the Capitol by a violent mob intent on
subverting our democratic process. My fellow officers and I were
committed to not letting any rioters breach the Capitol. It was a
prolonged and desperate struggle. I vividly heard officers screaming in
agony and pain just an arms-length from me. One of those officers is
here today. I, too, was being crushed by the rioters. I could feel
myself losing oxygen and recall thinking to myself ``this is how I'm
going to die, trampled defending this entrance.'' Many of the officers
fighting alongside me were calling for shields, because their shields
had been stripped from them by the rioters. I was one of the few
officers left with a shield, so I spent the majority of the time at the
front of the line.
I later found out that my wife and relatives here in the United
States and abroad were frantically calling and texting me from 2
o'clock p.m. onwards because they were watching the turmoil live on
television. But it was not until around 4:26 p.m., after giving CPR to
one of the rioters who breached the Capitol in an effort to save her
life, that I finally had a chance to let my own family know that I was
alive.
After order finally had been restored at the Capitol and after many
exhausting hours, I arrived home at nearly 4 o'clock a.m. on January 7.
I had to push away my wife from hugging me because of all the chemicals
that covered my body. I couldn't sleep because the chemicals
reactivated after I took a shower, and my skin was still burning. I
finally fell asleep 2 hours later, completely physically and mentally
exhausted. Yet by 8 o'clock a.m. that day I was already on my way back
to the Capitol, and I continued to work for 15 consecutive days until
after the Inauguration. I made sure to work despite my injuries because
I wanted to continue doing my job and help secure the Capitol complex.
Six months later, I am still trying to recover from my injuries.
Many of my fellow Capitol Police Officers, as well as MPD Officers,
suffered terrible physical injuries from the violence inflicted on us
on January 6. I sustained injuries to both of my hands, my left
shoulder, my left calf, and my right foot. I have already undergone
fusion surgery on my foot, and I was just told that I need surgery on
my left shoulder. I have been on medical and administrative leave for
much of the past 6 months, and I expect to need further rehabilitation
for possibly more than a year.
There are some who expressed outrage when someone simply kneeled
for social justice during the National anthem. Where are those same
people expressing outrage to condemn the violent attack on law
enforcement officers, the U.S. Capitol, and our American democracy?
As America and the world watched in horror what was happening to us
at the Capitol, we did not receive the timely reinforcements and
support we needed. In contrast, during the Black Lives Matter protest
last year, U.S. Capitol Police had all the support we needed and more.
Why the different response? Were it not for the brave members of the
MPD and officers for other agencies, I am afraid to think what could
have happened on January 6. I want to publicly thank all the law
enforcement agencies that responded to assist that day for their
courage and support. I especially want to thank those Capitol Police
Officers who responded on their own.
Despite being outnumbered, we did our job. Every Member of the
House of Representatives, Senator, and staff member made it home
safely. Sadly, as a result of that day, we lost officers--some really
good officers. But we held the line to protect our democratic process,
and because the alternative would have been a disaster. We are not
asking for medals or even recognition. We simply want accountability
and justice.
For most people, January 6th happened for a few hours that day. But
for those of us who were in the thick of it, it has not ended. That day
continues to be a constant trauma for us literally every day, whether
because of our physical or emotional injuries, or both. While it has
not received much attention, sadly many of my colleagues have quietly
resigned from the Capitol Police because of that day. I am also
regularly called by the law enforcement officials and prosecutors to
help identify rioters from photographs and videos. And to be honest,
physical therapy is painful and hard. I could have lost my life that
day, but as soon as I recover from my injuries I will continue forward
and proudly serve my country and the U.S. Capitol Police. As an
immigrant to the United States, I am especially proud to have defended
the U.S. Constitution and our democracy on January 6. I hope that
everyone in a position of authority in our country has the courage and
conviction to do their part by investigating what happened on that
terrible day, and why.
This investigation is essential to our democracy, and I am deeply
grateful to you for undertaking it. I am happy to assist as I can, and
answer any questions you have to the best of my ability.
______
Prepared Statement of Michael Fanone, Officer, Metropolitan Police
Department
July 27, 2021
Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Members of this Committee, for inviting
me to provide my eyewitness testimony of the violent assault on our
Nation's Capitol on January 6, 2021.
My name is Michael Fanone, and while I have been a sworn officer
with the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, DC. for almost 2
decades, my law enforcement career actually began here in this building
as a United States Capitol Police Officer shortly after 9/11. In part
because of the 2001 attacks on our country by terrorists, I felt called
to serve. As a Capitol Police Officer, I was proud to protect this
institution and the dedicated Members of Congress and their staff who
work hard each today to uphold our American democracy.
I remain proud of the work of the Capitol Police and MPD Officers
who literally commit their lives to protecting the safety of each of
you, and all of us in this room, in our Nation's Capital.
After leaving the United States Capitol Police, I became an MPD
officer serving the residents of Washington, DC. I have spent the
majority of my nearly 20 years at the Metropolitan Police Department
working in special mission units whose responsibilities include the
investigation and arrest of narcotics traffickers and violent
criminals. I have worked as both an undercover officer and lead case
officer in many of these investigations.
In this line of work, it probably won't shock you to know I've
dealt with some dicey situations. I thought I had seen it all, many
times over. Yet what I witnessed and experienced on January 6, 2021 was
unlike anything I had ever seen, experienced, or could have imagined in
my country. On that day, I participated in the defense of the United
States Capitol from an armed mob of thousands determined to get inside.
Because I was among a vastly outnumbered group of law enforcement
officers protecting the Capitol and the people in it, I was grabbed,
beaten, tased, all while being called a traitor to my country. I was at
risk of being stripped of, and killed with, my own firearm as I heard
chants of, ``Kill him with his own gun!'' I can still hear those words
in my head now.
Although I regularly deal with risky situations on the job, nowhere
in my wildest imagination did I ever expect to be in that situation, or
sitting before you today talking about it. That experience and its
aftermath were something that even my extensive law enforcement
training didn't prepare me for.
I was just one of hundreds of local police who lined up to protect
Congress even though we were not assigned to do that. Some have asked
why we ran to help when we didn't have to. I did that because I simply
could not ignore what was happening. Like many other officers, I could
not ignore the numerous calls for help coming from the Capitol Complex.
I'm a plainclothes officer assigned to the First District Crime
Suppression Team. But for the first time in nearly a decade, I put on
my uniform.
When my partner, Jimmy Albright, and I arrived at the Capitol
around 3 that afternoon, it was unlike any scene I had ever witnessed.
Jimmy parked our police vehicle near the intersection of South Capitol
St. and D St., SE and we walked to the Capitol from there passing the
Longworth House Office Building. It was eerily quiet and the sidewalks,
usually filled with pedestrians, were empty. As we made our way to
Independence Avenue, I could see dozens of empty police vehicles that
filled the street, police barricades, which had been abandoned, and
hundreds of angry protesters, many of whom taunted us as we walked
toward the Capitol building.
Jimmy and I immediately began to search for an area where we could
be of most assistance. We first made our way through a door on the
south side of the Capitol, walking then to the crypt and finally down
to the Lower West Terrace Tunnel. It was there that I observed a police
commander struggling to breathe as he dealt with the effects of CS gas
that lingered in the air. Then I watched him collect himself,
straighten his cap and trench coat adorned with silver eagles, and
return to the line. That Commander was Ramey Kyle of the Metropolitan
Police Department and those images are etched into my memory never to
be forgotten.
In the midst of this intense and chaotic scene, Commander Kyle
remained cool, calm, and collected as he gave commands to his officers.
``Hold the line,'' he shouted over the roar. Of course, that day ``the
line'' was the seat of our American government. Despite the confusion
and stress of the situation, observing Ray's leadership, protecting a
place I cared so much about, was the most inspirational moment of my
life. The bravery he and others showed that day are the best examples
of duty, honor, and service. Each of us who carries a badge should
bring those core values to our work every day.
The fighting in the Lower West Terrace Tunnel was nothing short of
brutal. Here I observed approximately 30 police officers standing
shoulder-to-shoulder, maybe 4 or 5 abreast, using the weight of their
own bodies to hold back the onslaught of violent attackers. Many of
these officers were injured, bleeding, and fatigued. But they continued
to hold the line.
As I don't have to tell the Members in this room, the Tunnel is a
narrow and long hallway. It is not the sort of space where anyone would
want to be pulled into hand-to-hand combat with an angry mob, although
the narrowness of the hallway provided what was probably the only
chance of holding back that crowd from entering your personal offices
and the House and Senate Chambers.
In an attempt to assist injured officers, Jimmy and I asked them if
they needed a break. There were no volunteers. Selflessly, they only
identified other colleagues who may be in need of assistance.
The fighting dragged on, and I eventually joined the tactical line
at the Tunnel's entrance. I can remember looking around and being
shocked by the sheer number of people fighting us. As my police body-
worn camera shows, thousands upon thousands of people, seemingly
determined to get past us by any means necessary.
At some point during the fighting, I was dragged from the line of
officers into the crowd. I heard someone scream, ``I got one!'' as I
was swarmed by a violent mob. They ripped off my badge. They grabbed my
radio. They seized the 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 remove my firearm. I heard
chanting from some in the crowd, ``get his gun'' and ``Kill him with
his own gun.'' I was aware enough to recognize 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'm sure I was screaming, but I don't
think I could even hear my own voice.
My body camera captured the violence of the crowd directed toward
me during those very frightening moments. It's an important part of the
record for this Committee's investigation and for the country's
understanding of how I was assaulted and nearly killed as the mob
attacked the Capitol that day, and I hope that everyone will be able to
watch it. The portions of the video I've seen remain extremely painful
for me to watch. But it is essential that everyone understands what
really happened that tragic day.
During those moments, I remember thinking that there was a very
good chance that I would be torn apart or be shot to death with my own
weapon. I thought of my four daughters who might lose their Dad. I
remain grateful that no Member of Congress had to go through the
violent assault that I experienced that day.
During the assault, I thought about using my firearm on my
attackers. But I knew that if I did that, I would quickly be
overwhelmed. And that, in their minds, it would provide them with the
justification for killing me. So instead, I decided to appeal to any
humanity they might have. I said as loud as I could manage, ``I've got
kids.'' Thankfully, some in the crowd stepped in and assisted me.
Those few individuals protected me from the crowd and inched me
toward the Capitol until my fellow officers could rescue me. I was
carried back inside the Capitol Building. What happened afterwards is
much less vivid to me. I had been beaten unconscious and remained so
for more than 4 minutes. I know that Jimmy helped evacuate me from the
building and drove me to MedStar Washington Hospital Center despite
suffering significant injuries himself. At the hospital, doctors told
me that I suffered a heart attack, and I was later diagnosed with a
concussion, traumatic brain injury, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
As my physical injuries gradually subsided and the adrenaline that
had stayed with me for weeks waned, I have been left with the
psychological trauma and the emotional anxiety of having survived such
a horrifying event. And my children continue to deal with the trauma of
nearly losing their Dad that day.
What makes that struggle harder and more painful is to know so many
of my fellow citizens, including so many of the people I 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 the people in this room.
But too many are now telling me that Hell doesn't even exist--or that
Hell actually wasn't all that bad.
The indifference shown to my colleagues and I is disgraceful. My
law enforcement career prepared me to cope with some aspects of this
experience. Being an officer, you know your life is at risk whenever
you walk out the door, even if you don't expect otherwise law-abiding
citizens to take up arms against you. But nothing--truly nothing--has
prepared me to address those elected Members of our Government who
continue to deny the events of that day. Those very same Members whose
lives, offices, staff members I was fighting so desperately to defend.
I agreed to speak here today, and have talked publicly about what
happened, because I don't think our response to the insurrection should
have anything to do with political parties. I know that when my partner
Jimmy and I suited up on January 6, we didn't care what we or our
fellow officers believed about politics or what political party any of
you public servants belonged to. I've worked in this city for 2 decades
and never cared about those things, no matter who was in office. All
I've ever cared about is protecting you, and the public, so you can do
your job in service to this country and for the people you represent.
I appreciate your time and attention. I look forward to the
Committee's investigation. I am hopeful that with your commitment, we
as a country will confront the truth of what happened on January 6th
and do what is necessary to make sure this institution of our democracy
never again falls into the hands of a violent and angry mob.
We must also recognize the officers who responded that day, many
unsolicited, and their countless acts of bravery and selflessness. It
has been 202 days since 850 MPD officers responded to the Capitol and
helped stop a violent insurrection from taking over the Capitol
Complex, which almost certainly saved countless Members of Congress and
their staff from injury and possibly even death. The time to fully
recognize these officers' actions is now.
Thank you again for the opportunity to provide my testimony today.
______
Prepared Statement of Daniel Hodges, Officer, Metropolitan Police
Department
Good morning to the Committee, members of the press, and to the
country.
To the Members of the Committee, I'd like to thank you for the
invitation today to provide my account of my knowledge of and
experiences from January 6th, 2021.
As the Chairman mentioned I am a member of Civil Disturbance Unit
42 and was working in that capacity on the day in question. A fully-
staffed CDU platoon consists of 1 lieutenant, 4 sergeants, and 28
officers. We started that day at 7:30 a.m. and our assignment was to
maintain high visibility along Constitution Avenue, namely the blocks
leading up to President's Park, where then-President Donald Trump was
holding his gathering. My particular station was in front of 1111
Constitution Avenue, where I stood on foot as the crowd poured down the
street and into the park.
There were a significant number of men dressed in tactical gear
attending the gathering. Wearing ballistic vests, helmets, goggles,
military face masks, backpacks, and without identifiable, visible law
enforcement or military patches, they appeared to be prepared for much
more than listening to politicians speak in a park.
Two of my colleagues were approached by a group of 3 to 4 of such
men. The men were white, in good shape, with load-bearing vests
equipped with MOLLE pouches. They were wearing BDUs, or battle dress
uniform pants, tactical boots, black sunglasses and short haircuts.
They had radios and one was equipped with an earpiece.
After a bit of small talk one of them asked my colleagues something
to the effect of, ``Is this all the manpower you have? Do you really
think you're going to be able to stop all these people?'' Dumbfounded,
my colleagues simply expressed that they didn't understand what the
speaker meant, and the group continued on.
As the day went on and the speakers in the park said their piece, I
monitored the crowd and the radio. Over the radio I heard our Gun
Recovery Unit working constantly, monitoring those in the crowd
suspected of carrying firearms and making arrests and seizures when
possible. Multiple gun arrests were made from January 5th through the
7th against those attending, planning to attend, or had attended Donald
Trump's gathering. Unfortunately due to the course of events that day
we will likely never know exactly how many were carrying firearms and
other lethal weapons.
I don't know what time it was, but eventually the flow of foot
traffic reversed, with people leaving President's Park and traveling
eastbound down Constitution Avenue toward the United States Capitol.
At approximately 12:30 p.m. I noticed a commotion about half a
block to my east, and saw the crowd starting to coalesce around two
figures. I ran to where they were and found a confrontation at the
intersection of 10th and Constitution Avenue NW. One counter-protester,
a Black man, was backpedaling away from a white man in a Trump-labeled
face mask who was closely following him with an outstretched arm.
Myself and my colleague arrived first and physically separated the two,
but a crowd of Donald Trump's people had gathered. They attempted to
bait the counter-protester into attacking, shouting insults such as
``You're mother's a whore!'' and accusing him of ``Hiding behind the
cops.'' Eventually enough MPD members had gathered to move along the
crowd who continued eastbound toward the Capitol building, and the
counter-protester departed northbound on 10th Street.
Returning to my post I continued monitoring the radio. I could hear
Commander Glover leading the defense efforts at the Capitol as the
protesters began their transition from peaceful assembly into
terrorism. I became agitated and wished we could move in to support as
I could hear the increasing desperation in the Commander's voice, yet
we still had to wait for our orders to change. Eventually they did, as
at approximately 1:30 p.m. the Commander authorized rapid response
platoons to deploy their hard gear and respond to the Capitol,
including CDU 42.
The last thing I remember hearing over the air before departing for
the Capitol grounds was confirmation that our Explosive Ordinance
Disposal team had discovered a ``device''. Given which unit was being
associated with this ``device'' I immediately realized MPD had
discovered a bomb of some type near the Capitol. This thought was never
far from my mind for the rest of the day.
We ran back to our vans and got on our hard gear as quickly as we
could. Navigating alternate routes to avoid the foot traffic, we drove
as close as we could to the Capitol, disembarking at the northwest side
of the Capitol grounds. We gave our gear a final check and marched
toward the West Terrace.
The crowd was thinner the further out from the Capitol you were, so
as we marched the resistance we initially met was verbal. A man
sarcastically yelled ``Here come the boys in blue! So brave!'' Another
called on us to ``remember your oath.'' There was plenty of boo-ing. A
woman called us ``stormtroopers''. Another woman, who was part of the
mob of terrorists laying siege to the Capitol of the United States,
shouted ``Traitors!'' More found appeal in the label, and shout
``Traitors!'' at us as we pass; one man attempted to turn it into a
duosyllabic chant. We continue to march.
We had been marching in two columns, but as we got closer to the
West Terrace the crowd became so dense that in order to progress we
marched single-file, with our hands on the shoulders of the man in
front of us in order to avoid separation. However as we came close to
the terrace our line was divided and we came under attack. A man
attempted to rip my baton from my hands and we wrestled for control. I
retained my weapon and after I pushed him back, he yelled at me
``You're on the wrong team!''
Cut off from our leadership at the font of our formation we huddled
up and assessed the threat surrounding us. One man tried and failed to
build a rapport with me, shouting, ``Are you my brother?!'' Another
takes a different tack, shouting ``You will die on your knees!''
I was at the front of our group and determined we had to push our
way through the crowd in order to join the defense proper, so I began
shouting ``Make way!'' as I forged ahead, hoping that I'm clearing a
path for the others to follow. However as I looked back I saw that the
rest of the group came under attack and were unable to follow. The
crowd attempted to physically bar the rest of the platoon from
following. I backtrack and started pulling terrorists off of my team by
their backpacks. Around this time one of the terrorists who had scaled
the scaffolding that adorned the Capitol at the time threw something
heavy down at me and struck me in the head, disorienting me (I suspect
this resulted in the likely concussion I dealt with in the weeks
after). Another man attempted to disarm me of my baton again, and we
wrestled for control. He kicked me in my chest as we went to the
ground. I was able to retain my baton again, but I ended up on my hands
and knees and blind; the medical mask I was wearing to protect myself
from the coronavirus was pulled up over my eyes so I couldn't see. I
braced myself against the impact of their blows and feared the worst.
Thankfully my platoon had repelled their own attackers and got me back
on my feet. The crowd started chanting ``U-S-A!'' at us, and we struck
out again for the West Terrace.
I lead the charge again through the midst of crowd-control
munitions, explosions, and smoke engulfing the area. Terrorists were
breaking apart metal fencing and bike racks into individual pieces,
presumably to use as weapons. Thankfully we made it to the secondary
defense line on the West Terrace that MPD and Capitol Police were
managing to hold. The rest of my platoon got behind the line and we
take stock of the situation. I realized that back during the previous
assault someone had stolen my radio; from that point on I was in the
dark as to our current status and when reinforcements would arrive.
Terrorists were scaling the scaffolding on both our sides, the tower
that was in front of us, and attempting to breach the waist-high metal
fencing that was the only barrier we had, aside from ourselves.
The sea of people was punctuated throughout by flags. Lots of
American flags and Trump flags. Gadsden flags. It was clear the
terrorists perceived themselves to be Christians: I saw the Christian
flag directly to my front. Another read ``Jesus is my Savior, Trump is
my President.'' Another, ``Jesus is King.'' One flag read, ``Don't give
up the ship''. Another had crossed rifles beneath a skull emblazoned
with the pattern of the American flag. To my perpetual confusion, I saw
the Thin Blue Line flag, a symbol of support for law enforcement, more
than once being carried by the terrorists as they ignored our commands
and continued to assault us.
The acrid sting of CS gas (tear gas) and OC spray (mace) hung in
the air, as the terrorists threw our own CS gas canisters back at us
and sprayed us with their own OC, either that they brought themselves
or stole from us. Later I learned that at least one of them was
spraying us in the face with wasp spray.
The terrorists alternated between attempting to break our defenses
and shouting at or attempting to convert us. Men alleging to be
veterans told us how they had fought for this country and were fighting
for it again. One man tried to start a chant of ``Four-more-years!''
Another shouted ``Do not attack us! We are not `Black Lives Matter!' ''
as if political affiliation is how we determine when to use force. A
man in a ``QAnon'' hoodie exclaims, ``This is the time to choose what
side of history to be on!'' A man whose shirt reads ``God Guns &
Trump'' stood behind him, silently holding a Trump flag.
A new man came to the front and fixated on me, continually berated
me, telling me to take off my gear and give it to him: ``Show
solidarity with `we the people' or we're going to run over you!'' his
voice cracked with the strain and volume of his threats. He continued,
``Do you think your little pea-shooter guns are going to stop this
crowd? No! We're going in that building!''
Eventually there is a surge in the crowd, the fence buckled and
broke apart and we were unable to hold the line. A chaotic melee
ensued. Terrorists pushed through the line and engaged us in hand-to-
hand combat. Several attempted to knock me over and steal my baton. One
latched onto my face and got his thumb in my right eye, attempting to
gouge it out. I cried out in pain and managed to shake him off before
any permanent damage was done. I couldn't engage anyone fully for the
moment I do is when another 20 terrorists move in to attack while I am
occupied. It's all we could do to keep ourselves on our feet and
continue to fall back. I'm sprayed with a fire extinguisher and a red
smoke grenade burned at our feet.
In the fight a terrorist is knocked to the ground and his jacket
rides up, exposing a large hunting knife on his belt. I along with
several other officers piled on him while another removed the knife
from his person. He regained himself, unharmed, and shouts indignantly,
``What are you doing! What are you guys doing!''
The terrorists had claimed most of the western terrace, cornering
myself and other officers on the southern edge. We took a side stair
off the terrace, up to an upper landing, followed by more stairs up and
inside.
Inside the Capitol building officers walked through the halls
briefly until they found a place to sit, decontaminate their faces of
OC and CS, and take a quick breather. I followed suit. Someone had
managed to find a package of water bottles and was passing them out. I
washed off my face as best as I could, rinsed out my mouth and drank
the rest. I took the opportunity of relative safety to don my gas mask.
Not long afterward I heard someone calling for officers to move to
assist. I steeled myself for another round and descended a stairway
into a long hallway filled with smoke and screams.
The Capitol building is labyrinthine, but judging from the sound of
intense combat I could tell this hallway led outside to where the
terrorists had forced our retreat. Officers were stacked deep, but
every so often one would fall back from the front line, nursing an
injury or struggling to breathe, and those who remained would take a
step forward.
It was a battle of inches, with one side pushing the other a few
and then the other side regaining their ground. At the time I (and I
suspect many others in the hallway) did not know that the terrorists
had gained entry to the building by breaking in doors and windows
elsewhere, so we believed ours to be the last line of defense before
the terrorists had true access to the building, and potentially our
elected representatives.
Eventually it was my turn in the meat grinder that was the front
line. The terrorists had a wall of shields that they had stolen from
officers, as well as stolen batons and whatever other armaments they
brought. Even during this intense contest of wills they continued to
try to convert us to their cult. One man shouted ``We just want to make
our voices heard! And I think you feel the same! I really think you
feel the same!'', all while another man attempts to batter us with a
stolen shield. Another man, like many others, didn't seem to appreciate
that this wasn't a game. He fought his way across the lawn, up the
steps, through the western terrace, and at the front line of this final
threshold was asking us to ``hold on'' because he ``has asthma''.
The two sides were at a stalemate at a metal door frame that sat in
the middle of the hallway. At the front line, I inserted myself so that
the frame was at my back in an effort to give myself something to brace
against and provide additional strength when pushing forward.
Unfortunately soon after I secured this position the momentum shifted
and we lost the ground that got me there. On my left was a man with a
clear riot shield stolen during the assault. He slammed it against me
and, with the weight of all the bodies pushing behind him, trapped me.
My arms were pinned and effectively useless, trapped against the either
the shield on my left or the door frame on my right. With my posture
granting me no functional strength or freedom of movement, I was
effectively defenseless and gradually sustaining injury from the
increasing pressure of the mob.
Directly in front of me a man seized the opportunity of my
vulnerability. He grabbed the front of my gas mask and used it to beat
my head against the door. He switched to pulling it off my head, the
straps stretching against my skull and straining my neck. He never
uttered any words I recognized, but opted instead for guttural screams.
I swear I remember him foaming at the mouth. He also put his cell phone
in his mouth so that he had both hands free to assault me. Eventually
he succeeded in stripping away my gas mask, and a new rush of exposure
to CS gas and OC spray hit me. The mob of terrorists were coordinating
their efforts now, shouting ``Heave! Ho!'' as they synchronized pushing
their weight forward, crushing me further against the metal door frame.
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 that I couldn't sustain much more damage and
remain upright. At best I would collapse and be a liability to my
colleagues, at worst be dragged out into 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 still do and screamed for help.
Thankfully my voice was heard over the cacophony of yells and the
blaring alarm. The officer closest to me was able to extricate me from
my position and another helped me fall back to the building again.
I found some water and decontaminated my face as best as I could. I
don't know how long I waited in the halls but soon after got back on my
feet and went to where the fight was again. Until reinforcements
arrived every able body made a difference.
Without my gas mask I was afraid I'd be a liability in the hallway
so I took the exit outside to the upper landing above the West Terrace.
I found a police line being held and the terrorists encircling us, much
like on the West Terrace. It was getting later in the day however, and
it appeared we weren't the only ones getting tired. It seemed most of
the mob was content to yell rather than to break our line again.
After some time of guarding the upper landing I saw reinforcements
arrive from the south. I'm not sure which law enforcement agency it was
but I turned to them and started clapping, as it was a sign that badly-
needed help was starting to finally arrive.
Soon after that I started feeling the effects of the day taking
their toll, and I went back inside to rest. Gradually all the members
of CDU 42 gathered in the room known as the Capitol Crypt. We checked
on each other and convalesced, glad to see each other in one piece.
Despite our exhaustion, we all would have ran out to the fight again
should the need have arisen. Thankfully as the day wore on, more and
more resources arrived at the Capitol to drive off the terrorists. We
stayed in the Crypt until quite late, and even after we were allowed to
leave the grounds we didn't get to go home. Those who needed immediate
medical attention took a van to the local hospital while the rest of us
parked near the city center until the city was deemed secure enough for
us to check off. I believe we finally got that message around 1 a.m.
the following morning. We drove back to the Fourth district and from
there went home.
______
Prepared Statement of Harry A. Dunn, Private First Class, U.S. Capitol
Police
July 27, 2021
Chairman Thompson and Members of the Select Committee, thank you
for the opportunity today to give my account regarding the events of
January 6, 2021, from my first-hand experience as a Capitol Police
Officer directly involved in those events, and still hurting from what
happened that day. I am providing this testimony solely in my personal
capacity, and not as a representative of the U.S. Capitol Police.
I reported for duty at the Capitol, as usual, early on the morning
of January 6. We understood that the vote to certify President Biden's
election would be taking place that day, and that protests might occur
outside the Capitol, but we expected any demonstrations to be peaceful
expressions of First Amendment freedoms, just like the scores of
demonstrations we had observed for many years. After roll call, I took
my overwatch post on the East Front of the Capitol, standing on the
steps that lead to the Senate chamber. As the morning progressed, I did
not see or hear anything that gave me cause for alarm.
But around 10:56 am, I received a text message from a friend
forwarding a screen shot of what appeared to be a potential plan of
action very different from a peaceful demonstration. The screen shot
bore the caption ``Jan. 6th--Rally Point--Lincoln Park,'' and said the
``objective'' was ``THE CAPITAL.'' It said, among, other things, that
``Trump has given us marching orders,'' and to ``keep your guns
hidden.'' It urged people to ``bring . . . your trauma kits'' and ``gas
mask,'' to ``[l]ink up early in the day'' in ``6-12 man teams,'' and
indicated there would be a ``time to arm up.'' Seeing that message
caused me concern, to be sure, and looking back now, it seemed to
foreshadow what happened later. At the time, though, we had not
received any threat warnings from our chain of command, and I had no
independent reason to believe that violence was headed our way.
As the morning progressed, the crowd of protestors began to swell
on the east side of the Capitol, many displaying ``Trump'' flags. The
crowd was chanting slogans like ``Stop the Steal!'' and ``We want
Trump!'' But the demonstration was still being conducted in a peaceful
manner.
Early that afternoon, Capitol Police dispatch advised all units
over the radio that we had an ``active 10-100'' at the Republican
National Committee nearby. ``10-100'' is police code for a suspicious
package, such as a potential bomb. That radio dispatch got my attention
and I started to get more nervous and worried, especially because the
crowds on the East Front of the Capitol were continuing to grow. Around
the same time, I started receiving reports on the radio about large
crowd movements around the Capitol, coming from the direction of the
Ellipse to both the West and East Fronts of the Capitol. Then I heard
urgent radio calls for additional officers to respond to the west side,
and an exclamation, in a desperate voice, that demonstrators on the
west side had ``breached the fence!''
Now it was obvious that there was an active threat to the Capitol.
I quickly put on a steel chest plate (which weighs about 20 pounds)
and, carrying my M-4 rifle, sprinted around the north side of the
Capitol to the West Terrace and the railing of the Inaugural stage,
where I had a broad view of what was going on. I was stunned by what I
saw. In what seemed like a sea of people, Capitol Police Officers and
Metropolitan DC Police (``MPD'') officers were engaged in desperate
hand-to-hand fighting with rioters across the west lawn. Until then, I
had never seen anyone physically assault a Capitol Police or MPD
Officer--let alone witness mass assaults being perpetrated on law
enforcement officers. I witnessed the rioters using all kinds of
weapons against the officers, including flag poles, metal bike racks
they had torn apart, and various kinds of projectiles. Officers were
being bloodied in the fighting, many were screaming, and many were
blinded and coughing from chemical irritants being sprayed in their
faces. I gave decontamination aid to as many officers as I could,
flushing their eyes with water to dilute the chemical irritants.
Soon thereafter, I heard an ``Attention, all units!'' radio
dispatch that the Capitol had been breached, and that rioters were in
various places inside the building. At that point, I rushed into the
Capitol with another officer, going first to the basement on the Senate
side where I had heard an MPD officer needed a defibrillator. After
returning outside to the West Terrace to assist officers, I went back
into the Capitol and up the stairs to the Crypt. There, I saw rioters
who had invaded the Capitol carrying a Confederate flag, a red ``MAGA''
flag, and a ``Don't Tread on Me'' flag.
I decided to stand my ground there to prevent any rioters from
heading down the stairs to the Lower West Terrace entrance, because
that was where officers were getting decontamination aid and were
particularly vulnerable. At the top of the stairs, I confronted a group
of the insurrectionists, warning them not to go down. One of them
shouted ``Keep moving, Patriots!'' Another, displaying what looked like
a law enforcement badge, told me ``We're doing this for you!'' One of
the invaders approached like he was about to try and get past me and
head down the stairs, and I hit him, knocking him down.
After getting relieved by other officers in the Crypt, I took off
running upstairs toward the Speaker's Lobby, and helped a plain-clothes
officer who was being hassled by insurrectionists. Some of them were
dressed like members of a militia group, wearing tactical vests, cargo
pants, and body armor. I was physically exhausted, and it was hard to
breathe and see because of all the chemical spray in the air.
More and more insurrectionists were pouring into the area by the
Speaker's Lobby near the Rotunda, some wearing ``MAGA'' hats and shirts
that said ``Trump 2020.'' I told them to leave the Capitol, and in
response, they yelled back: ``No, 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 am a law enforcement officer, and I keep politics out of my job.
But in this circumstance, I responded: ``Well, 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 nigger voted for Joe
Biden!'' Then the crowd, perhaps around 20 people, joined in, screaming
``Boo! Fucking Nigger!''
No one had ever--ever--called me a ``nigger'' while wearing the
uniform of a Capitol Police Officer. In the days following the
attempted insurrection, other Black officers shared with me their own
stories of racial abuse on January 6th. One officer told me he had
never, in his entire 40 years of life, been called a ``nigger'' to his
face, and that that streak ended on January 6th. Yet another Black
officer later told he had been confronted by insurrectionists inside
the Capitol, who told him to ``Put your gun down and we'll show you
what kind of nigger you really are!''
To be candid, the rest of that afternoon is a blur. But I know I
went throughout the Capitol to assist other officers who needed aid,
and to help expel more insurrectionists. In the Crypt, I encountered
Sergeant Gonell, who was giving assistance to an unconscious woman who
had been in the crowd of rioters on the west side of the Capitol. I
helped to carry her to the House Majority Leader's office, where she
was administered CPR. As the afternoon wore on, I was completely
drained both physically and emotionally, and in shock and disbelief
over what had happened. Once the building was cleared, I went to the
Rotunda to recover with other officers and share our experiences from
that afternoon. Rep. Rodney Davis was there offering support to
officers, and when he and I saw each other he came over and gave me a
big hug.
I sat down on a bench with a friend of mine who is also a Black
Capitol Police Officer, and told him about the racial slurs I had
endured. I became very emotional and began yelling ``How the
[expletive] can something like this happen?! Is this America?'' I began
sobbing, and officers came over to console me.
Later on January 6th, after order and security had been restored in
the Capitol through the hard work and sacrifices of law enforcement,
Members took to the floor of the House to speak out about what had
happened that day. Among them was House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy,
who--along with my fellow officers--I had protected that day, and will
protect today and tomorrow. And the Minority Leader, to his great
credit, said the following to the House: ``The violence, destruction,
and chaos we saw earlier was unacceptable, undemocratic, and un-
American. It was the saddest day I've ever had serving in this
institution.'' Members of this Select Committee, the Minority Leader
was absolutely right that day in how he described what took place at
the Capitol. And for those of us in the Capitol Police who serve and
revere this institution, and who love the Capitol building, it was the
saddest day for us as well.
More than 6 months later, January 6th still isn't over for me. I
have had to avail myself of multiple counseling sessions from the
Capitol Police Employee Assistance Program, and I am now receiving
private counseling therapy for the persistent emotional trauma of that
day. I have 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 and speak to my fellow officers about
the emotions they are continuing to experience from the events of
January 6th. There is absolutely nothing wrong with seeking
professional counseling. What we all went through that day was
traumatic, and if you are hurting please take advantage of the
counseling services that are available to us. I also respectfully ask
this Select Committee to review the services available to us and
consider whether they are sufficient to meet our needs, especially with
respect to the amount of leave we are allowed.
In closing, we can never again allow our democracy to be put in
peril as it was on January 6th. I thank the Members of this Select
Committee for your commitment to determine what led to the disaster at
the Capitol on January 6th, what actually took place at the Capitol
that day, and what steps should be taken to prevent such an attack on
our democracy from ever happening again.
Thank you again for the opportunity to testify, and I would be
happy to answer any questions you may have.
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