Michael Fanone Hits House GOP With Withering 'Wake Up Call' Over Jim Jordan
Michael Fanone, a former Washington, D.C., police officer who was assaulted during the U.S. Capitol riot, excoriated House Republicans for nominating Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) as their speaker-designate.
“Jim Jordan is an insurrectionist who has no place being second in line to the presidency,” Fanone said in a statement on Monday via Courage for America, an anti-extremism group.
“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,” the statement continued.
“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.”
A majority of House Republicans — 155 out of 221 — voted Friday to nominate Jordan for the speakership in an internal election. An official vote in the House is expected on Tuesday; he would need 217 votes to be successful.
Jordan was a vocal supporter of Donald Trump’s lie that the 2020 election was stolen and played an active role in the former president’s push to overturn the results.
Jordan refused to cooperate with the House Jan. 6 committee’s probe into the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. He still won’t disclose what he and Trump discussed in a 10-minute phone call on the morning of the attack.
More than 140 police officers were assaulted during the riot, including Fanone, who suffered a heart attack and traumatic brain injury after he was dragged into the mob.
He regularly speaks out against Trump, his allies and the rhetoric that led to the attack.
