Michael Fanone, a former Capitol police officer who sustained injuries during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack, criticized Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) Monday for his response to the incident as Jordan seeks the House Speakership.
Jordan, a top ally in the House of former President Trump, appeared to be gaining momentum in the fight for the Speakership with a vote planned for Tuesday.
Fanone has long criticized Jordan for his actions related to Jan. 6.
“Jim Jordan is an insurrectionist who has no place being second in line to the presidency,” Fanone said in a statement Monday through Courage for America, an organization that pushes against an extremist, far-right agenda in the country.
“I witnessed the deadly assault on our democracy with my own eyes, which is why it absolutely disgusts me that extreme Republicans could choose an insurrectionist and election denier as their leader — someone who knew about January 6th ahead of time yet did nothing to stop it,” Fanone added. “This is a very dark time for our democracy and should serve as a wake up call to all Americans that we can never take our democracy for granted.”
Fanone, who currently serves as a law enforcement analyst for CNN, suffered a heart attack and a traumatic brain injury from the insurrection, which led him to resign from the police force. He was also later diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from the riot.
Fanone also testified before the House select committee investigating the attack, becoming a vocal critic of elected officials, including Trump, whom he claimed downplayed the severity of the attack.
Jordan would need 217 votes on the House floor to be elected Speaker. With all Democrats backing Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), Jordan will only be able to afford a few defections.
It’s been two weeks since Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was voted out of his position as House Speaker.
The historic vote was brought on by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), as he and seven other Republican lawmakers joined their Democratic colleagues in a 216-210 vote to remove McCarthy from his leadership position.