Officer who suffered heart attack on Jan. 6 knocks ‘dangerous’ Trump comments

Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone, who was attacked by rioters and suffered a mild heart attack during the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, said late Tuesday that former President Trump’s comments downplaying the severity of the siege were “dangerous.” 

In an interview with CNN’s Don Lemon, Fanone, who says he has suffered PTSD and “emotional trauma” in the months since the attack, explained that it has been “very difficult seeing elected officials and other individuals kind of whitewash the events of that day or downplay what happened.” 

“Some of the terminology that was used, like ‘hugs and kisses’ and ‘very fine people,’ is very different from what I experienced and what my co-workers experienced on the 6th,” Fanone added. 

Trump told Fox News host Laura Ingraham last month that the rioters who stormed the Capitol posed “zero threat” and claimed that some were “hugging and kissing the police and the guards.” 

Lemon on Tuesday asked Fanone what he thought of Trump’s remarks as someone who experienced the violence, during which multiple people died and dozens of others suffered injuries, firsthand. 

“I think it’s dangerous,” Fanone said. “It is very much not the experience I had on the 6th. I experienced a group of individuals who were trying to kill me to accomplish their goal.”

Officer Michael Fanone tells @donlemon it’s been very difficult to see elected officials whitewash what happened on Jan. 6.

He was stun-gunned several times and beaten with a flagpole during the Capitol attack.

Watch part 1 of his first in-depth interview: pic.twitter.com/4LzuJcfztl

— CNN Tonight (@CNNTonight) April 28, 2021

In the days following the mob attack, Fanone said he heard some rioters saying they should “kill him” with his own gun.

The narcotics detective told CNN at the time that he arrived at the Capitol to help other officers respond to the rioting. 

Fanone said he was stripped of his gear, spare ammunition and police radio and had his badge stolen during the attack.

Federal authorities said that someone in the crowd grabbed Fanone by the helmet and dragged him down the steps of the Capitol. Prosecutors say that 38-year-old Daniel Rodriguez then shocked Fanone with a stun gun, which triggered a mild heart attack. 

Earlier this month, the Department of Justice released court documents accusing Albuquerque Cosper Head, Kyle James Young and Thomas Sibick of assaulting Fanone.