Michael Fanone listens during a hearing from the January 6 Committee
(Tasos Katopodis/Getty)

‘I have been betrayed by my country’: Former DC officer reacts to Trump pardoning the January 6 rioters who brutally attacked him

Former DC officer Michael Fanone issued a heartbreaking statement in response to Donald Trump pardoning the men who violently attacked him during the January 6 insurrection.

Recommended Videos

Within hours of his inauguration, Trump acted on his promise to pardon the January 6 rioters. Even though many Republicans, including his own running mate J. D. Vance, opposed the pardons of the rioters convicted of violent offenses, Trump still extended pardons to these individuals. Among the most violent offenders who received pardons is Daniel Rodriguez. Rodriguez was supposed to serve a 12.5-year sentence after he was convicted of multiple felony charges, including “assaulting a law enforcement officer with a deadly or dangerous weapon.” The officer he assaulted was Fanone.

Fanone was off-duty at the time of the attack but self-deployed to the U.S. Capitol after a radio call went out for assistance. While trying to restore order and protect the Capitol, he was surrounded and attacked by the violent mob. During the attack, Rodriguez repeatedly tased Fanone with a stun gun in the neck while yelling, “Trump won!” The attack was captured on video. In the deeply disturbing footage, viewers can hear Fanone’s agonizing screams as Rodgriuez and multiple others attack him. Rodriguez has shown no remorse, as he again yelled, “Trump won!” as he was led out of the courtroom after his sentencing. One of Trump’s first moves as president was to pardon Rodriguez and dozens of others convicted of similar crimes.

Michael Fanone says America has betrayed him

Since January 6, right-wing extremists, including Trump, have crafted a fictional narrative claiming the January 6 rioters were peaceful protestors and patriots who became political prisoners. Fanone is living proof that this narrative is false. He has been a vital witness in the January 6 proceedings due to his testimony of his attack. Fanone has recalled how he was dragged from the line of officers into the crowd of violent Trump supporters. They pummeled him with their fists, beat him with pipes, sprayed chemicals in his face, tased him, and lurched for his gun as the crowd chanted, “Kill him with his own gun!” He was nearly killed in the assault and suffered a concussion, traumatic brain injury, heart attack, and PTSD.

Following Trump’s January 6 pardons, Fanone issued a statement on CNN. He begins his statement with, “Rest assured, I have been betrayed by my country, and I have been betrayed by those who supported Donald Trump.” He emphasizes that even those who voted for Trump for reasons other than the vow of January 6 pardons are still at fault because they “knew this was coming.” Not only did Trump pardon six men who assaulted him, but dozens of January 6 defendants who have continued threatening Fanone and his family in retaliation for him being a “spokesperson for law enforcement” in the incident. He states, “My family, my children, and myself are less safe today because of Donald Trump and his supporters.”

@cnn

Michael Fanone, a former police officer who defended the Capitol on Jan. 6, speaks to CNN’s Anderson Cooper after President Donald Trump pardoned the men who beat him. #cnn #news

♬ original sound – CNN

Fanone has reason to fear for his safety and that of his family, as he recalled he didn’t even make it through his testimony before he received his first death threat. He continues, “Those threats have continued to this day … In recent months, my mother has been swatted — a 76-year-old woman who is guilty of nothing other than having a son, a police officer, who responded to the Capitol on January 6. And she has had human feces thrown on her while she was raking leaves in her front yard.” Fanone concluded, “This is who we are as a nation. This is what we have become, and it has been further exacerbated by Donald Trump.”

Fanone’s statement is powerful and heartbreaking. He is correct that every officer who responded to January 6, suffered assault, and was left with physical and emotional scars has been betrayed by their country. Trump just snatched away their right to justice and safety in favor of freeing violent criminals. These violent offenders have given the country no reason to believe they don’t still pose a threat to society. Their many victims and the victims’ families now have to live their lives in fear of these violent criminals acting on their threats or seeking retaliation. The pardons will also further embolden those who support the violent January 6 rioters and have levied death threats at Fanone and committed sickening acts against his mother. Overnight, America became a country that positively reinforces violent criminals and extremists while sacrificing the safety of those who have served our country.


The Mary Sue is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy
Author
Image of Rachel Ulatowski
Rachel Ulatowski
Rachel Ulatowski is a Staff Writer for The Mary Sue, who frequently covers DC, Marvel, Star Wars, literature, and celebrity news. She has over three years of experience in the digital media and entertainment industry, and her works can also be found on Screen Rant, JustWatch, and Tell-Tale TV. She enjoys running, reading, snarking on YouTube personalities, and working on her future novel when she's not writing professionally. You can find more of her writing on Twitter at @RachelUlatowski.