Four agents share their testimonies of the violence suffered on January 6
The United States House of Representatives on Tuesday began to investigate the assault on the Capitol, which took place on January 6 when a mob of supporters of now former President Donald Trump stormed the legislative headquarters.
The special commission established by the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, meets to investigate the circumstances in which the “insurrection” took place in Washington when hundreds of people interrupted the certification of the victory of Joe Biden in the presidential elections.
Thus, four police officers who defended the Capitol on January 6 offered this Tuesday, in a hearing of about three hours, their heartbreaking testimonies, recounting the situations of chaos and scenes of violence experienced that day.
“On January 6, for the first time, I was more afraid of working on Capitol Hill than during my entire Army deployment in Iraq. In Iraq, we expected gun violence, because we were in a war zone. But nothing in my experience in the The Army, or as a law enforcement officer, prepared me for what we faced that day, “said the member of the Capitol Police and Army veteran Aquilino Gonell, according to the US media ‘The Hill’.
Gonell, who suffered injuries during the assault, has also detailed how he and other officers were kicked, sprayed with chemicals, electrocuted and beaten with flagpoles by the assailants.
On the other hand, the agent of the Metropolitan Police Michael Fanone has condemned the “indifference” that has been shown with the agents who were in the Capitol that day, especially on the part of the Republicans.
“My career in law enforcement prepared me to face some of the aspects of this experience (…), but nothing has prepared me to address the elected members of our Government who continue to deny the events of that day and, in doing so, they betray their oath, “he criticized.
He has also shared his testimony Harry Dunn, agent of the Capitol Police, who has denounced racial insults by the rioters and has indicated that it was noted that they “had orders” to carry out that assault.
“One of the scariest things about January 6 is that the people who were there to this day think they were right. And that is a terrifying recipe for the future of this country,” he added.
The agent of the Metropolitan Police Daniel Hodges have been the fourth member of security to speak in front of the commission, which he has urged to find out if someone “with power” promoted the assault on the Capitol.
“I need you to address whether someone in power coordinated, helped, instigated or tried to downplay the facts, tried to avoid the investigation of this terrorist attack,” he demanded.
During his testimonies, the agents tried to hold back their tears and showed how the attack on January 6 affected them physically and emotionally. Likewise, some legislators have been moved by the policemen’s account, which has been accompanied by images of the events.
COMMITTEE OF INVESTIGATION
The commission examines what happened on January 6 on Capitol Hill, although it includes only two Republicans given the party’s refusal to participate in the investigation.
The investigation into what happened has turned into a fight between the two formations. In May, the House put an independent investigation to a vote, something that was blocked by the Senate.
This led Pelosi to create a selective commission to carry out the investigation. Thus, Kevin McCarthy, the leader of the Republican minority, chose five members of the party to be part of it, although Pelosi rejected several of those selected.
Later, Pelosi herself appointed Liz Cheney, a Wyoming MP, while McCarthy elected Adam Kinzinger. Both have been critical of Trump despite being Republicans.
“For months lies and conspiracies have spread, and our own governance has been jeopardized,” Kinzinger lamented, according to information from CNN.
In this regard, he has stressed that the American people deserve transparency and “truth” about “how and why thousands of people attacked democracy” that day. “I will work diligently to ensure that the truth is known and that those responsible are brought to justice,” he said.
Some 570 people have been arrested since the assault, although seven lost their lives in connection with the event. Last week, a man was sentenced to prison for his involvement in the attack.
