During an intense CNN interview on Tuesday night, DC Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone recounted the horrific violence he experienced at the hands of Capitol insurrectionists on Jan. 6. Fanone, who suffered a heart attack after he was beaten and tased by rioters, expressed disappointment that Trump supporters have tried to memory hole the events of that day.
“It’s been very difficult seeing elected officials and other individuals kind of whitewash the events of that day or downplay what happened,” Fanone told CNN anchor Don Lemon. Asked to react to conservatives who have painted the rioters as peaceful protesters, Fanone said that rhetoric was “dangerous,” adding that he “experienced a group of individuals that were trying to kill me to accomplish their goal.”
Fanone found himself needing to pause and collect himself throughout the lengthy interview, apologizing for getting emotional. “I experienced the most brutal, savage hand-to-hand combat of my entire life, let alone my policing career, which spans almost two decades,” he starkly noted.
