ICYMI: Sergeant Gonell and Officer Fanone Highlight the Importance of Remembering January 6, 2021, Combating Political Violence and the Big Lie, and Defending Democracy.
WASHINGTON, D.C — As the country approaches November 5th, 2024 and January 6, 2025, Courage for America council members Sergeant Aquilino Gonell and Officer Michael Fanone, both severely injured defending the Capitol on January 6, 2021, spoke with CBS’s Scott MacFarlane about their work with Courage for America and their advocacy for a peaceful certification of the upcoming election, the dangers of political violence, and combating the Big Lie.
Highlights:
Gonell, who has testified at the trials and sentencing hearings of Jan. 6 criminal defendants, lambastes Trump allies for referring to the Jan. 6 rioters as “peaceful protesters” and Trump for his recent claim that the Capitol riot was a “day of love.”
Gonell told CBS News, “I have been telling my story and reminding people about the ramifications of Jan. 6,” when he was beaten while on the frontlines of the assault in a Capitol tunnel.
“It is just me doing what I can to hold people accountable,” he said.
Another former officer who protected the Capitol on Jan. 6 has been advocating in the runup to the election is former Washington, D.C., police officer Michael Fanone, who says he’s not affiliated with a political campaign but has been helping an organization that advocates for elected leaders to ensure a peaceful transfer of power.
The organization, Courage for America, confirmed that Fanone and Gonell have taken part in nearly 50 events across the country focused on the upcoming elections. Fanone has also been tasked with outreach and interviews in local and national media to share his experiences from the Capitol attack, which refute the claims of some Republicans and Trump that it was a peaceful and patriotic protest.
Fanone was knocked unconscious and brutalized by a group of rioters, one of whom was accused of stealing his badge and radio during the attack.
“It’s nice to see that there are people from all walks of life and all across the country who are as concerned as I am about the future of democracy,” Fanone said.
Fanone, who also testified before the Jan. 6 select committee, told CBS News, “We really have lost something as a country that we might not get back for a generation. We’ve lost compassion and empathy and the ability to be civil to one another.”
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About Courage for America
Courage for America is a campaign advised by a council of proud Americans speaking out against an extreme MAGA agenda that puts money and power over the rights and freedoms of the American people. The campaign is amplifying the voices of Americans in communities across the country — veterans, educators, faith leaders, and more — to demand the People’s House works for the people. courageforamerica.org