It has been three years since one of the darkest days in the history of American democracy.
Michael Fanone was one of the police officers caught in the middle of Donald Trump’s effort to overturn the results of the election, inspiring supporters to sack the capitol and stop the count.
Fanone was with the Metropolitan Police Department when he was attacked. He has spent the years since warning about the dangers of misinformation and the importance of sober leadership, including in his book “Hold The Line,” and testifying against January 6 participants. He spoke with WAMC’s Ian Pickus.
What do you think about when you think about three years ago at this time?
I think about how far we have to go to achieve real accountability for those responsible for January 6. I feel like things have gotten so much worse over the past three years. I know we are living in a terrifying time.
You responded that day because of something you've heard on the police scanner, more or less. You were not scheduled to be at the Capitol on January 6. Do you have any regrets about that decision?
No, not at all. I mean, listen, I've said all along, like you noted, I was a D.C. police officer on January 6, I spent the majority of my career working in small special mission units focused primarily on violent crime and narcotics trafficking. It was not at the forefront of my mind that I would be involved in a riot or an insurrection in defending the Capitol on January 6. That being said, hearing cries of distress coming from other police officers is what motivated me to respond that day.
You had voted for Donald Trump in 2016. Did you understand, to a certain extent, the people who showed up at the capitol that day?
I mean, in a way, I understood the anger. Although by that time I felt as though it was misplaced. I mean, I had long since lost faith in Donald Trump as a leader or even as a good human being at that point. But in 2016, as a police officer, I was a single issue voter. My issue was law enforcement. And I felt like Donald Trump best supported law enforcement, although I've since learned that that is not the case.
He is the frontrunner for the Republican Party in 2024. And in a lot of his statements he has made even more authoritarian promises, threats, suggestions as he looks to return to the White House. What fears do you have about Trump getting back into power?
Well, Donald Trump has told us what he intends to do with a second administration. His administration will be focused on retribution and payback. He will, as he has stated many times, pardon those participants in the January 6 insurrection, many of whom committed extreme acts of violence against police officers, including myself. He has said that he will go after members of the Department of Justice who have pursued accountability for his actions that day. And even as far as to float the idea of suspending the Constitution to further those actions and declare himself dictator, even if just for a day.
As I was getting ready to speak with you today, a poll came out showing that a quarter of Americans believe the FBI was behind the January 6 events. You were there, obviously. You very nearly lost your life that day. When you hear people say these were some tourists who got out of hand or this was a false flag attack, what goes through your mind?
It pisses me off. Because I know that that's all crap. It was not a FBI orchestrated event. And you don't have to take my word for it. I mean, what you need to do is pay attention to the countless investigations that have taken place in the aftermath of January 6. Or you could just listen to the members of the Republican Party, former Trump administration officials who have told you as much: what the game plan was leading up to January 6, what their involvement was, what the president's involvement was. And then, going even further, as to the makeup of the crowd. Just listen to the individuals who had been arrested, charged, many of whom had been convicted or pled guilty to their criminal actions on January 6, and they'll tell you what inspired them to go there was the former president and his lies about the integrity of the 2020 election. So, you know, this idea that it was someone other than Donald Trump supporters that attacked the capitol that day is just garbage.
Why are you here in Albany?
Well, specifically, I'm here in Albany because this area itself touches on Elise Stefanik’s district. And Elise Stefanik has become a champion of the MAGA agenda, and has aligned herself with the extremist, anti-American insurrectionists in the Republican Party, and at this stage in the game, to me, there's only two types of Republicans. There's those who passively support Donald Trump through their inaction. And then there's those who actively support Donald Trump and his MAGA extremist agenda. And Elise Stefanik has become an active participant. And so she is in my eyes an insurrectionist who has embedded herself in our government.
I want to say in fairness to Congresswoman Stefanik, when we have and others have asked about January 6, she has laid the blame at the feet of then Speaker Nancy Pelosi for not protecting the Capitol better. And she has said that there were legitimate questions that had to be asked about the way states ran the elections and that's why she voted against certifying the results that put Biden in the White House.
Yeah, I'll say this. There were many, many, many failures on the part of law enforcement on January 6, there's failures on the part of United States Capitol Police, the agency charged with protecting the Capitol, members of Congress, the compound itself. Planning and preparation was an absolute failure. There were failures on the part of agencies in sharing intelligence. I agree with that. I disagree with the idea that Nancy Pelosi is in her role as speaker the responsible party for ensuring the safety and security of the Capitol Complex. I was a Capitol Police Officer, quite some time ago, but for at least a year, and I know that to not be the truth.
How are you doing personally, having lived through that day and all that has come since?
I had a 20-year career in law enforcement to prepare me for the violence of January 6. I was an inner city cop. I worked primarily on violent crime and narcotics investigations, as I said, and I've seen pretty much everything that an inner city law enforcement career can throw at you. I was not prepared for the massive or the extent of the violence that day. But I believe that I've resolved the trauma of January 6, it's the aftermath that continues to bother me. The idea that you know, this happened, I witnessed it, I was there. It happened to me, and people don't believe it. And I've got to take time to go around the country and convince other Americans of a fact that they just seem either indifferent to or uninterested in acknowledging, because if it doesn't suit their political narrative or their political agenda.
Do you worry that it could happen again?
Oh, I don't worry that it will happen again, I believe that it will happen again. Nothing has changed since January 6 2021. I mean, if anything, you know, the same individuals who are espousing the laws that that led us to January 6, and convinced Americans that they needed to attack the Capitol and attack police officers, they've doubled down on that rhetoric, they continue to espouse the rhetoric. Doubling down seems like a disingenuous word. I mean, the former president has amped up that rhetoric embraced it, and really, it's become his entire platform. And so I believe that unless Donald Trump is prevented from holding office, or running for office, that we will see more political inspired violence on the fourth anniversary, if not sooner.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but your outspokenness about your experiences that day has cost you a bit in your life. You're not on the force anymore. You've been subject to a lot of these same conspiracy theories. You've been threatened, online and in person. Has it been worth it?
Listen, I made the decision a long time ago that I was going to do this because it was the right thing to do, regardless of the cost. And so that's why, you know, I'm still here today, continuing to fight this fight. And I will, you know, until there's nothing left to fight for. But, you know, the short answer, I guess, would be absolutely it was worth it. I wouldn't do anything any differently.
Do you see yourself running for office someday?
No.
How come?
I've had enough of politics. I've had enough of politicians. When this is all over, I just want to like ride off into the sunset and be forgotten.
