Former D.C. police officer Michael Fanone, who was brutally assaulted while defending the U.S. Capitol during the January 6, 2021, riot, has spoken out against Trump’s recent decision to pardon several rioters convicted of violence that day. Fanone delivered an emotional response, saying the pardons not only undermine justice but also make his family “less safe.”
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Fanone, who has been a vocal critic of Trump since the Capitol attack, shared his frustration and fear during a statement addressing the pardons.
“Tonight, six individuals who assaulted me as I did my job on January 6th, as did hundreds of other law enforcement officers, will now walk free,” Fanone said. “My family, my children, and myself are less safe today because of Donald Trump and his supporters.”
Fanone, who suffered a heart attack and traumatic brain injury during the attack, described how his life has been upended since that day. While his testimony before Congress in the months following the attack brought national attention to his story, it also made him a target of harassment and threats.
“I’ve been concerned for myself and my family’s safety ever since I testified before Congress,” Fanone shared. “If you remember, I didn’t even make it through my congressional testimony before I received my first threat from a member of the American public who called me and threatened my life literally as I was giving testimony. And those threats have continued to this day against both myself and members of my family.”
Fanone recounted how the harassment extended to his 76-year-old mother.
“In recent months, my mother has been swatted,” Fanone said, referencing a dangerous hoax where emergency services are falsely dispatched to someone’s home. “A 76-year-old woman who’s guilty of nothing other than having a son, a police officer who responded to the Capitol on January 6th.”
Fanone added that his mother was also physically harassed, revealing that “human feces” had been thrown at her while she was raking leaves in her front yard.
Fanone made it clear that he believes Trump’s decision endangers law enforcement officers and their families. “Those pardons send a message that violence against officers defending democracy will be excused,” he said.
Fanone has long been a fierce advocate for holding Jan. 6 participants accountable. During his congressional testimony, he described in harrowing detail how he was dragged into the crowd, beaten with flags, and shocked with a stun gun, all while hearing rioters chant, “Kill him with his own gun.”
“Trump’s actions have emboldened extremists,” Fanone said. “His pardons are a slap in the face to every officer who put their lives on the line that day.”
