A Jan. 6 officer stopped a Republican mid-speech with an unexpected outburst in Congress — and the drama didn’t end there

Former Capitol Police Officer Michael Fanone, who was badly hurt during the January 6 Capitol riot, caused a major disruption at a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Thursday. He loudly yelled profanity at a Republican congressman. This kind of outburst is very rare in Congress, and it shows how emotional things still are for the officers who defended the Capitol that day.

Fanone attended the hearing with several other officers who served with him, including Daniel Hodges, Aquilino Gonell, and Harry Dunn. They were all there to watch the proceedings, which included testimony from former special counsel Jack Smith. Fanone said he attended the hearing to “support Smith and hoped the former prosecutor would simply share the truth with the American public.”

According to Mediaite, Officer Gonell made it clear the officers want real accountability. He said that whatever House Republicans try to do now, “it’s not going to wash away what was done to us and to the Capitol.” He believes the main issue is holding people responsible for the “betrayal [that] was done to not only us, but to the American people.”

The officers are still fighting for accountability years after the attack

The tension in the room grew when Rep. Troy Nehls, a Republican from Texas, spoke to the committee. Instead of questioning the former special counsel, Nehls turned his attention to the officers sitting in the audience. Nehls said he is part of a new committee formed to look into what happened on January 6.

Nehls then made a statement that sparked the fight. He claimed that President Trump wasn’t to blame for the violence that day. The claim comes as Trump hints at serving beyond term limits, raising further concerns among critics. Nehls said the fault lies with the Capitol Police leadership team, specifically naming Yogananda Pittman.

He claimed the leadership didn’t plan properly for the event, saying, “We know, we know, they had the intelligence there was going to be a high propensity for violence that day.” Fanone, who suffered serious injuries while defending the building, had heard enough. As Nehls finished speaking, Fanone cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, “Go f— yourself!” The comment caused an immediate reaction in the audience.

Chairman Jim Jordan quickly tried to take control of the room. “You will be in order,” Jordan said. “The time belongs to the gentleman from Texas. We’ve had some disruptions already. We don’t need that. Let the gentleman, the gentleman may continue.” Nehls responded, “Claim my time, yeah,” and kept talking.

The situation didn’t end there. Fanone later confronted Ivan Raiklin, an election denier who was also in the audience. Fanone called Raiklin a “traitor to this country.” This led to a physical situation where Fanone had to be separated from Raiklin by Officer Harry Dunn and another colleague. The confrontation was intense, with some describing what felt like hostage-like treatment from those refusing accountability.

During the struggle, Fanone made serious accusations against Raiklin, shouting that he had threatened his family. “This guy’s threatened my family, threatened my children,” Fanone yelled. “Threatened my, threatened to rape my children, you sick b—-! Rape my children!”