Michael Fanone—who worked for the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department for 20 years until he sustained serious and life-threatening injuries during the January 6 insurrection—didn't take kindly to Texas Republican Representative Troy Nehls trying to blame the attack on the "U.S. Capitol leadership team" instead of President Donald Trump.
Nehls spoke during a hearing where Jack Smith, the former special prosecutor who led two failed prosecutions against Trump for inciting the insurrection, defended the integrity of his investigation.
Addressing Fanone and the current and former law enforcement officials who were present that fateful day, Nehls said the "U.S. Capitol leadership team" bears responsibility for the attack:
"I'm a member of the new select committee to actually examine what happened that day and I can tell you gentlemen that the fault does not lie with Donald Trump. It lies with [former assistant chief and acting Capitol Police chief] Yogananda Pittman and the U.S. Capitol leadership team."
Fanone coughed into his hands in the middle of Nehls' remarks and he could clearly be heard saying:
"Go f**k yourself."
The room had to be called to order.
You can watch what happened in the video below.
For years, Trump and the GOP have sought to absolve him of responsibility for the attack, claiming lawmakers and authorities should take the blame for security failures.
Trump has repeatedly and falsely blamed Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi for "not properly securing" the Capitol on January 6—even though the responsibility for security lies not with Pelosi but with the United States Capitol Police and its board, which can request help from federal as well as Washington, D.C., authorities.
In fact, there were numerous warnings about the possibility of an attack, but the Capitol Police planned only for a free speech demonstration and turned down offers of assistance from the Pentagon on two separate occasions.
Three days before the attack, the Pentagon had proposed deploying the National Guard. Then, as the mob advanced on the Capitol, it recommended bringing in agents from the FBI. The Capitol Police declined both offers of assistance—decisions that ultimately undermined the force’s ability to contain the escalating threat.
Contrary to what Trump may claim, his aides and allies recalled he had initially resisted sending in the National Guard even as rioters grew progressively more violent. His failure to respond has been seen as further evidence that he not only encouraged but ultimately endorsed the attack, and ultimately it was Vice President Mike Pence who mobilized the National Guard.
Fanone's response to the latest attempt to rewrite the narrative resonated with many.
Fanone's name has become synonymous with the many police officers who suffered horrific and unprecedented trauma as they attempted to restore order and protect the seat of the nation's government on January 6, 2021.
Insurrectionist Thomas Sibick made nationwide news for his involvement in the attack on Fanone, who suffered a traumatic brain injury when he was beaten with a flagpole. Sibick robbed Fanone of his badge and radio while others tased Fanone and threatened to beat him with his own gun.
Fanone's badge and radio were recovered from the spot where Sibick buried them after returning to Buffalo, New York, from D.C.
Sibick was sentenced to 50 months in prison and incarcerated at FCI Elkton in Ohio, having pleaded guilty to one felony count of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers and one misdemeanor count of theft. Officials with the Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed Sibick's release after Trump issued mass pardons for all individuals prosecuted for their roles in the attack.
Commenting on those pardons, Fanone said he has "been betrayed by my country and I have been betrayed by those who supported Donald Trump."
