Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 12:32 pm
Speaking to ABC News, Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn said groups of former President Donald Trump’s supporters yelled racial slurs at him and beat his fellow officers with Blue Lives Matter flags during last month’s Capitol insurrection, which left five people, including Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, dead.
“I got called a [N-word] a couple dozen times … protecting this building,” he said. “Is this America? They beat police officers with Blue Lives Matter flags. They fought us, they had Confederate flags in the U.S. Capitol.â€
“The floors are covered in white dust, water bottles, broken flagpoles, mask, empty canisters of pepper spray, helmets, Trump flags, everything in the rotunda, just laying there on the floor,†he added.
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Dunn, a 13-year veteran of the Capitol Police, called the people who stormed the Capitol “terrorists.” The attack took place after Trump ordered his supporters to march to the Capitol and overturn the results of the 2020 general election, which President Joe Biden won decisively. Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives for inciting the insurrection against Congress. He was later acquitted by the Senate: Although a majority of lawmakers did vote to convict Trump for his role in the violence, the upper chamber could not secure the two-thirds threshold required to convict.
“They tried to disrupt this country’s democracy — that was their goal… And you know what? Y’all failed because later that night, they went on and they certified the election,” Dunn said.
“There were dozens of Eugene Goodmans that day,†Dunn observed, referring to his colleague Eugene Goodman, who was later awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for his efforts protecting the Capitol and diverting insurrectionists from the Senate chamber. “Eugene got caught on camera and I’m not surprised that he did the right thing, the brave thing, the heroic thing — there were so many Eugene Goodmans that weren’t caught on camera that day. … and I’m proud to work with all of them.â€
You can watch Dunn’s interview below.
"It wasn't just a mob or a bunch of thugs, they were terrorists."
One of the Capitol Police officers who stood their ground during the January 6th insurrection speaks out for the first time, exclusively with @PierreTABC: https://t.co/Y7J7I6SQF8 pic.twitter.com/rjnBDbHIVb
— Good Morning America (@GMA) February 22, 2021
At least 234 people have been charged with federal crimes for their role in the attack. Dozens of noted white supremacists participated in the violence, including members of the far-right anti-government group The Oath Keepers and the white nationalist Proud Boys.
Alan is a writer, editor, and news junkie based in New York.
