Michael Fanone Defended the Capitol on January 6 — the Former DC Cop Now Defends His Actions

On the five-year anniversary of the January 6 attack, NPR spoke with two former D.C. police officers who defended the Capitol that day. Michael Fanone had been working for the Metropolitan Police Department for about 20 years when the insurrection occurred. He wasn't supposed to be on duty that day, but chose to help after hearing calls for assistance go out over the radio.

Revisiting that horrible day involved watching Fanone's body camera footage. By the time he arrived, other members of law enforcement had been dealing with the near-constant assault for a few hours. Knowing they were undoubtedly exhausted, he made his way to the frontlines. Fanone was brutally assaulted. Daniel Joseph Rodriguez shocked Fanone with a stun gun, per CNN. Later that day, Fanone suffered a heart attack due to being tased multiple times. Where is he today? Here's what we know.

Fanone also suffered a traumatic brain injury, but he returned to police work only to retire in December 2021. He told The Washington Post he was concerned about the loyalties of some of his colleagues. "Clearly there are some members of our department who feel their oath is to Donald Trump and not to the Constitution," he said. "I no longer felt like I could trust my fellow officers and decided it was time to make a change."

The former police officer joined CNN as a commentator and analyst, then left in November 2023. He was also awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal by President Joe Biden. In 2022, he co-authored Hold the Line: The Insurrection and One Cop's Battle for America's Soul with investigative reporter John Schiffman. Fanone voted for Trump in 2016, but has since become an outspoken critic of the president, especially during his second term.

For obvious reasons, Fanone was horrified when Trump pardoned the Jan. 6 rioters. "I have been betrayed by my country, and I’ve been betrayed by those that supported Donald Trump, whether you voted for him because he promised these pardons, or for some other reason, you knew that this was coming," he said to Anderson Cooper in January 2025. "Tonight, six individuals who assaulted me, as I did my job on Jan. 6, as did hundreds of other law enforcement officers, will now walk free."

Former special counsel Jack Smith led the investigation into Trump's alleged interference with the 2020 presidential election. This included investigating the Jan. 6 attack. After Trump was elected a second time, charges Smith had previously brought against the president were dropped because he is a sitting president.

In January 2026, Smith was brought before Congress to defend his decision to "bring two criminal indictments against Donald J. Trump after he left office in 2021," reported The New York Times. Fanone and other police officers who were at the Capitol on Jan. 6 were sitting together behind Smith.

There was also a right-wing conservative activist in attendance. Ivan Raiklin is a 2020 election denier who, according to Fanone, has allegedly made threats against the former police officer's family. During a recess, the two exchanged heated words. Fanone briefly stepped out to collect himself, after which Raiklin can be heard accusing the former police officer of having a drug and alcohol problem.