Kinzinger Demands GOP Leaders Respond To Officer's Grief At Downplaying Of Jan. 6
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
In a new letter, a DC Metropolitan police officer expresses his naked grief and trauma after being "beaten with fists, metal objects, stripped of my issued badge, radio and ammunition magazine and electrocuted numerous times with a Taser" during the Capitol attack on January 6.
But the emotional crescendo of officer Michael Fanone's open letter to lawmakers comes towards the end, as he's describing the lingering psychological damage that makes him feel like his life stalled out on January 7.
"I struggle daily with the emotional anxiety of having survived such a traumatic event but I also struggle with the anxiety of hearing those who continue to downplay the events of that day and those who would ignore them altogether with their lack of acknowledgement," he wrote, calling the "indifference" to the officers' ordeal "disgraceful."
Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), an Air Force veteran, tweeted out the letter, later demanding a response from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA).
Good morning! Did Kevin McCarthy and Steve Scalise talk to Officer Michael Fanone from DC metro about his experience on Jan 6th yet? It sure seems like they talked to Trump about it. @GOPLeader@SteveScalise
— Adam Kinzinger (@AdamKinzinger) May 6, 2021
In the immediate wake of the attack, when he was presumably shaken after being in personal danger along with his colleagues, McCarthy admitted that former President Trump bore "responsibility" for the riot.
He has furiously backpedaled since, one eye on the 2022 midterms, actually arguing during a Fox News interview that Trump earnestly tried to stop the violence. As proof, McCarthy pointed to Trump's lukewarm video during which he encouraged members of the mob to go home — hours after the attack began, while also telling them that he loved them and tweeting that they should "remember this day forever."
McCarthy and Scalise are currently working to dethrone Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), the GOP conference chair, for the cardinal sin of holding Trump and his allies accountable for January 6 and the election fraud lie that led to it. Kinzinger has expressed his support for Cheney, though he is one of the very few Republicans to do so. She is reportedly not bothering to fight what seems like her increasingly imminent outster, saying it's not worth the leadership post if she has to lie.
Republicans have gone to different lengths to whitewash the violence that unfurled on January 6, leaving multiple people dead and many injured. There's been a chorus of GOP calls to "move on" from the attack, to stop dwelling on an event that implicates the leader of their party as well as current members. Others, including Trump and Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) have tried to rewrite the narrative completely, downplaying the attack as not actually violent.
They've been aided in this rewriting of history by so far keeping a comprehensive January 6 commission off the table, mostly by demanding that, if Democrats insist on investigating the lead-up to the attack, Republicans will also examine Black Lives Matter protests last summer.
While it's a fairly blatant attempt to "both sides" the attack their party played a significant role in catalyzing, there are also personal reasons for some GOP members to want to avoid a thorough investigation. As I wrote yesterday for members, McCarthy would almost certainly be called by the commission to testify about his mid-riot phone call with Trump — a good reason for him to duck reminders of the violence from both police officers who were there and a fellow member of GOP leadership who won't let it go.
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As Republicans try to play down the aftermath of the election, their hero and god, Donald Trump, has commenced commenting on it every day.
This is from today
Donald J. Trump
9:48am May 6, 2021
Congratulations to the great Patriots of Windham, New Hampshire for their incredible fight to seek out the truth on the massive Election Fraud which took place in New Hampshire and the 2020 Presidential Election. The spirit for transparency and justice is being displayed all over the Country by media outlets which do not represent Fake News. People are watching in droves as these Patriots work tirelessly to reveal the real facts of the most tainted and corrupt Election in American history. Congratulations Windham—look forward to seeing the results.re
He should sue the trumpturd administration.
what, besides common sense and reason, is stopping him?
Every gqp member backing trumpturd still is complicit in this.
Sane people realize that anytime a leftist claims greatness of their politicians, or tries to degrade someone that leans right, then they know that what that leftist politician is doing is detrimental to the country.
I saw the interview with officer Fanones, it was quite powerful.
Good on Kitzinger one of the few on the right with any balls.
They are going after Liz Cheney..... simply because she has balls!
Do you think Joe Manchin has balls?
After all, he is going against the democratic plantation grain.
Sure he does..... But in your mind is Liz C. wrong?
She's not.
I think Trump's time as a politician has come and gone, however, I am a full supporter of DeSantis for president, and Trump supports him. (Disclaimer, I live in Florida and see all the good things first hand he has done). This does not make me a Trump supporter.
Trump will continue to pull in the base and get people motivated to vote in 22 and probably 24.
Like Hillary, he can't stand being out of the limelight.