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Barring Trump from office could bring closure for Jan. 6 riots, former officer says

by Lauren Irwin - 11/04/23 5:54 PM ET

Former U.S. Capitol Police Sergeant Aquilino Gonell said he thinks former President Trump being barred from office could bring closure for the Jan. 6 riots.

“What is closure for me? I don’t know,” Gonell told Dean Obeidallah in an interview on SiriusXM.

“It could be that [Trump] gets barred from political office and never set a foot in the White House. It could be that he [goes] to jail,” he continued. “It could be that he lose[s] everything he had because he put everybody else’s lives at risk.”

The former President is currently facing multiple lawsuits in different states that are attempting to ban him from the ballot in the 2024 presidential election. Lawyers say Trump violated Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which states that someone can’t hold office if they have engaged in an insurrection or rebellion against the government.

Gonell, the author of the upcoming book, “American Shield: The Immigrant Sergeant Who Defended Democracy,” said he thinks Trump is responsible for the attack on the Capitol, as he was President of the United States.

Gonell has previously said Trump betrayed his oath to the Constitution.

With President Biden not yet sworn into office, Gonell said the insurrection was an attack on Trump’s own government. He added that with several high-ranking members of Congress fearing for their lives, it was a threat to national security.

“I don’t get it why people continue to make excuses for him,” said Gonell, who received a Congressional Gold Medal for his role in defending the Capitol against the rioters.

Gonell has previously said he can no longer perform the physical component of his role due to injuries he sustained on Jan. 6. Prosecutors said rioter Kyle Fitzsimons, a professional butcher from Maine, delivered a “career-ending and life-altering” shoulder injury to Gonell.

Gonell reported that he feared for his life during the attack and was very close to using lethal force on Fitzsimons when he was injured.