Former DC police officer who survived the Capitol riot slams 'insurrectionist members of Congress' as 'jackasses'

On Thursday, January 6 — the one-year anniversary of the Capitol insurrection — CNN’s “New Day” focused heavily on the shocking events that rocked Washington, D.C. a year ago. One of the guests on “New Day” was Michael Fanone, a former D.C. Metropolitan Police officer who witnessed first hand the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol Building.

Brianna Keilar, who hosts “New Day” with her CNN colleague John Berman, asked Fanone to discuss “the conversations” he has recently had with others in law enforcement “leading up to this day.”

Fanone replied, “A lot of the conversations that I had early on — many continue to this day — it was important for the officers, myself included, that went to the Capitol to not be viewed as victims. We were American police officers who responded to the Capitol and fought off an insurrection in defense of democracy. I’m incredibly proud of that. And I’m proud of the officers that continue, to this day, to uphold their oath to the Constitution and defend democracy — specifically, my former department, and also, the U.S. Capitol Police who have to do it and walk the same halls as some of these insurrectionist members of Congress. I couldn’t imagine sharing a workspace with those jackasses.”

Keilar, responding to Fanone’s comments, said, “You’re angry, and it makes sense. It makes sense, Mike.”

The “New Day” segment also featured Officer Harry Dunn of the U.S. Capitol Police. Dunn, who also experienced the Capitol insurrection first hand, told Keilar, Berman and Fanone, “The people that are saying, ‘Move on’ — how can you move on when there’s been no accountability for what happened that day?”