Pro-Trump political commentator Julie Kelly called police officers testifying at the Capitol riot inquiry 'crisis actors'

Vanessa Gu
Updated ·2 min read
5
US Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, Washington Metropolitan Police Department officer Michael Fanone, Washington Metropolitan Police Department officer Daniel Hodges and US Capitol Police Sgt. Harry Dunn watch a video of rioters during the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack on the US Capitol on July 27, 2021 at the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, DC.

  • Julie Kelly tweeted that police officers testifying at the congressional Capitol riot hearing were "crisis actors."

  • Officers Michael Fanone and Harry Dunn offered testimony about how they were attacked while defending the Capitol.

  • "Crisis actor" is a term used by conspiracy theorists to describe those who've been hired to lie about events as witnesses.

  • Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Julie Kelly, a pro-Trump political commentator who has appeared as a guest on Fox News, called police officers testifying at the Capitol riot hearing on Tuesday "crisis actors."

"Crisis actor" is a term used by far-right conspiracy theorists to refer to those who have been hired to manipulate public opinion by lying about events as victims and witnesses.

Speaking about the testimony of DC Metropolitan police officer Michael Fanone, Kelly tweeted: "Crisis actor Fanone just beat on the table and said it's 'disgraceful!' that any elected official denies his narrative of what happened on January 6."

Fanone gave testimony on Tuesday recalling how he was attacked to the point of unconsciousness as he defended the Capitol on January 6.

In an emotional address, he slammed the table and blasted lawmakers who downplayed the events as "disgraceful."

Kelly, who is the author of the pro-Trump book "Disloyal Opposition: How the NeverTrump Right Tried-And Failed-To Take Down the President," pounced on Fanone's testimony and wrote that he was politicizing the riot by calling it an "insurrection" and targeting Republican lawmakers.

In a follow up tweet, she also called other police officers "crisis actors," retweeting a video of US Capitol Police Harry Dunn testifying.

Dunn said during his testimony that rioters directed racist slurs at him while he was trying to defend the Speaker's lobby, saying that was the first time he had been called the N-word while in uniform.

Four police officers working at the Capitol on January 6 gave their testimonies on Tuesday at the House Select Committee's first hearing on the investigation into the Capitol attack.

Read the original article on Insider