“I need a drink” – Officer Fanone has absolutely had it with Kevin McCarthy’s antics
DC Police Officer Michael Fanone, who still suffers from injuries received while defending the Capitol on Jan. 6th, finally had his meeting with House minority leader Kevin McCarthy on Friday, who had been avoiding him for weeks after opposing a bipartisan commission to investigate the attack, MSNBC reported Saturday. Fanone emerged from the meeting disappointed, saying “I need a drink.”
Fanone and Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn asked McCarthy to publicly denounce the 21 House Republicans who voted against awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to officers who defended the Capitol, as well as the lies Washington Republicans have been spreading about the attack. They specifically asked McCarthy to condemn Rep. Andrew Clyde, who compared the insurrection to a “normal tourist visit,” and to condemn conspiracy theories that the FBI was behind the attack. (Clyde had refused to shake Fanone’s hand on a prior visit.) They also expressed the need for a full investigation of the attack, determining why and how it happened and all those responsible.
While the officers expressed that they had “meaningful discussions,” the meeting was “emotional” and they were disappointed by McCarthy’s resistance to making any public denouncements. “As the leader of the House Republican Party, it’s important to hear those denouncements publicly,” said Fanone. “We want accountability and justice,” added Dunn. “That’s what we’re looking for — and recognition for every officer that day.”
A spokesperson for Nancy Pelosi described McCarthy’s resistance to publicly condemning his members as “troubling,” and that his behavior was “just the latest example of House Republicans’ growing contempt for police and law enforcement officers who keep us safe.”
Fanone had been a Trump supporter prior to revelations surrounding the Jan. 6th attack. He has since become friendly with Don Lemon of CNN and made several appearances on his show describing the horrors officers faced that day and continue to struggle with, totally contradicting Republicans’ attempts to downplay it.
