Page 13 - IAV Digital Magazine #582

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Capitol Police Officer Issues Stark Warning About Donald Trump
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eDZ1m6lwhM
By Newsweek
U.S. Capitol police officer Harry Dunn issued a warning on Saturday about former President Donald Trump's "lies" that he believed caused the January 6, 2021, insurrection.
On January 6, 2021, at least 2,000 people broke into the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. Thousands of Trump supporters rallied outside to protest the 2020 election results after Trump had claimed, without any evidence, that the election
was stolen via widespread voter fraud. More than 1,000 people have been charged, accord- ing to the latest data from the Department of Justice (DOJ), including more than 400 accused of assaulting or impeding law enforcement, which is a felony.
The DOJ's Washington, D.C., office said in early September
that 623 people had been sen- tenced, though not all had been given jail time, while about 657 had pleaded guilty to federal charges, "many of
whom faced or will face incarcer- ation at sentenc- ing."
During a Thursday cam- paign rally in Houston, Texas, Trump, who is the frontrunner in the 2024 GOP presi- dential primary, said: "I call them the J6 hostages. Not prisoners."
"If they're hostages, they're hostages of his lies and of the MAGA [Make America Great Again] party," Dunn said. "The rhetoric that he spills, that is what this country is a hostage of."
He continued: "A lot of the things they said is just completely lies, not based on any fact or anything. And people are taking it and run- ning with it...That's why people were there on January 6. They thought the election was stolen, despite the evidence showing that it wasn't. There was nothing that proved that it was."
Dunn, who does not speak on behalf of Capitol police, also point- ed a finger at Trump's support- ers. He
told Newsweek vi
a phone on Saturday that "unwavering sup- port of Trump says more about the country than about Trump him- self."
He added that he is looking for accountability from everyone involved in the riot. "How do you get accountability when someone won't acknowl- edge that they did anything wrong," Dunn said.
Dunn was among the officers who responded to the violent mob that besieged the Capitol and has been lauded as a hero for his efforts in protecting the members
of Congress that day. In 2021, he provided testimo- ny to the biparti- san House select committee in charge of investi- gating the insur- rection. During his emotional com- ments, Dunn recalled being subjected to racial insults from peo- ple participating in the riot.
Dunn also said he was still receiving counseling for the trauma he suf- fered that day and also wrote
a New York Times bestseller titled, Standing My Ground about his experience.
In light of the insurrection, Trump's team has been attempting to dismiss federal charges against the former presi- dent that accused him of conspiring to overturn the 2020 election. Trump was indict- ed on four counts by the DOJ, including conspir- acy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding; and conspiracy against rights.
The former presi- dent has denied any
wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty in the case.
Newsweek reach ed out to Trump's team via email for
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