Hero cop who was 'tortured' by Capitol rioters says he feels 'abandoned' by the lawmakers he almost died trying to protect as he demands an independent commission

 A Washington, DC, police officer who was beaten as he tried to prevent rioters from entering the Capitol on January 6 has said he and his colleagues feel abandoned by the lawmakers they tried to protect.

Michael Fanone was on the front lines when a group of far-right protesters descended on the Capitol on January 6 in an effort to prevent Congress from certifying the results of the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Body camera footage from the riot showed a large group of protesters pulling Fanone into the crowd, as one man yelled 'I got one,' before protesters were seen beating him.

Last month, Senate Republicans blocked a proposal to create an independent commission to investigate the events of that day, and in recent weeks, several members of Congress have promoted conspiracy theories that the FBI was involved in the attack and that it was a 'normal tourist visit.'

And just last week, 21 House Republicans voted against a measure to award Capitol Police a Congressional Gold Medal for their work in the riots. The bill ultimately passed, however, 406 - 21. 

'My initial feelings were feelings of abandonment,' Michael Fanone told CBS This Morning on Wednesday. 

'I speak to a lot of police officers,' he said, 'and that's the overwhelming feeling is that we've been abandoned.'

Michael Fanone, a D.C. police officer who was injured in the January 6 riots, said in an interview with CBS This Morning he feels 'abandoned' by members of Congress, who voted last month to deny a proposal that would create an independent commission to study the events of the day

Michael Fanone, a D.C. police officer who was injured in the January 6 riots, said in an interview with CBS This Morning he feels 'abandoned' by members of Congress, who voted last month to deny a proposal that would create an independent commission to study the events of the day

Describing the moment he was attacked at the Capitol, Fanon said: 'All holy hell broke loose. The next thing you know, we were just in a hand-to-hand battle.' 

He was ultimately forced to the ground and yelled 'I have kids' as he feared for his life.

'I was tortured, I was beaten, I was, you know, struck with a taser numerous times at the base of my skill,' he said in the interview Wednesday. 'And I posed no threat.'

In the end, he said, he suffered a mild heart attack and a brain injury. 

Body camera footage shows the moment far-right protesters started pushing and grabbing at Fanone as they tried to enter the Capitol on January 6

Body camera footage shows the moment far-right protesters started pushing and grabbing at Fanone as they tried to enter the Capitol on January 6

Eventually, one man grabs him and he is forced to the ground and beaten

Eventually, one man grabs him and he is forced to the ground and beaten

Fanone, center, was surrounded by protesters that day, and ultimately suffered from a heart attack and a brain injury

Fanone, center, was surrounded by protesters that day, and ultimately suffered from a heart attack and a brain injury


Fanone is now calling for Congress to approve an independent commission to investigate the events of January 6, and has been trying to meet with Congress members to discuss the proposal.

He has already gained support from Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger and Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell, who joined him in the interview.

'I'm done tiptoeing through the tulips here,' Fanone said. 'The questions I have are to what extent - if any- did our political leaders involve themselves in the events of January 6?'

'If there was participation from members of Congress, from their staff, as an officer that served that day, I would certainly like to know that.' 

There has been no evidence provided to suggest any member of Congress was involved in the riot, and Kinzinger and Swalwell are now pressuring their colleagues to create the commission. 

'The bottom line of all of this is cowardice. Because it takes strength to tell the truth,' said Kinzinger, a Republican from Illinois. 'If you believe Antifa and BLM actually attacked the Capitol, you should want a January 6 commission. If you think the FBI organized the Capitol riots, you should certainly want a January 6th commission. 

'But if you believe that you've been lying about it the whole time, then you don't want a January 6 commission,' he said. 'That's why we have to do it.'

Swalwell, a Democrat from California, also said the commission should be bipartisan and independent to establish its credibility.

'If you're going to enact policies to make sure this never happens again as the independent, bipartisan September 11 commission did, it has to be independent, bipartisan, and as far away from this building as possible,' he said.

Republican Congressman  Adam Kinzinger and Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell joined Fanone in the interview Wednesday to express their support for an independent commission

Republican Congressman  Adam Kinzinger and Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell joined Fanone in the interview Wednesday to express their support for an independent commission

Fanone, center, said he has tried to meet with members of Congress to discuss the issue. He is pictured here with Sandra Garza, the girlfriend of deceased Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick and Republican Senator Susan Collins

Fanone, center, said he has tried to meet with members of Congress to discuss the issue. He is pictured here with Sandra Garza, the girlfriend of deceased Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick and Republican Senator Susan Collins

The riot began as an attempt to prevent members of Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election

The riot began as an attempt to prevent members of Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election

But some Republican members of Congress have tried to downplay the insurrection in recent weeks.

Paul Gosar, a Republican from Arizona, for example, claimed the FBI has been 'harassing peaceful patriots across the country' in its arrests of those who have participated in the insurrection, and Andrew Clyde, of Georgia, said that if you did not know the footage was from January 6 'you would actually think it was a normal tourist video.'

And Jody Hice, also of Georgia, wrongfully claimed 'it was Trump supporters who lost their lives that day, not Trump supporters who were taking the lives of others.' 

'As an American, I believe very strongly in a two-party system,' Fanone said on Wednesday, but added: 'Right now, one of those parties has a cancer, and we've got to cut it out, and until we do that, we're not going to be able to move forward as a nation.'

He said he would like to meet with Congressmembers who have made comments downplaying the events of the day, and would also like to sit down with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to discuss an independent commission.

Representatives from his office told CBS This Morning McCarthy would be 'happy' to meet with Fanone, but has not received a meeting request from him. 

Meanwhile, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is reportedly planning to name a Democrat-led select committee to investigate the Capitol riot, reports suggested.

Pelosi made the announcement of her intentions during a closed-door meeting of the Steering and Policy Committee on Tuesday evening, according to two sources familiar with the discussions who spoke to Politico

CNN reported Tuesday night that she would set up the panel after Republicans blocked the 9/11-style commission in the Senate.

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