Former DC officer on Jan. 6 hearings: ‘I don’t believe that it’s gonna move the needle’

Former D.C. Metropolitan police officer Michael Fanone, who suffered a heart attack during the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, said that he doesn’t believe upcoming congressional hearings will “move the needle.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t believe that it’s going to move the needle,” Fanone said on CNN, noting that he would be in the room during the public hearings on Jan. 6 set to begin on Thursday evening.

“I think most of the people in this country are indifferent towards what happened on Jan. 6, and everyone else is pretty well encamped in, you know, their side of the political aisle,” he added.

Fanone joined CNN as a law enforcement analyst in January, a month after resigning from the Metro Police Department. He has been highly critical of lawmakers and others who downplayed the significance of the attack.

He said on Sunday that while the events of Jan. 6 were “deeply personal” for him, he believes that most Americans have moved on. 

“I think people are just tired of politics in Washington D.C. I mean, for me, it’s deeply personal. I was there. I experienced it and almost lost my life,” he said. 

“But for most Americans, I mean, they’re worried about, you know, raising their families, making a living, sending their kids to school.”

Fanone’s remarks come just days before public hearings are set to begin, wrapping up months of work by the House select committee investigating the events of Jan. 6, 2021.

Democrats are planning to hold some of the hearings in prime time, aiming to capture public attention ahead of the midterm elections.

Former GOP Rep. Denver Riggleman (Va.), an adviser to the committee, said on Sunday that he thinks “people are going to be absolutely surprised how much was known with multiple groups.”

“And I think that’s what’s going to be exciting to see the committee — there’s some very intelligent, very talented investigators behind the doors,” he added the hearings.