The Washington, D.C., police officer who was dragged into a mob and beaten by rioters during the U.S. Capitol attack on January 6 has resigned in favor of taking a job with CNN.
Michael Fanone submitted his resignation to the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department earlier this week. The 41-year-old was knocked unconscious and injured during the Capitol assault; he’ll officially leave the force on December 31.
Fanone will be taking on a role as on-air contributor on law enforcement issues. He had been outspoken about the January 6 attack in the months that followed. In July, he told the committee investigating the riot that he was “grabbed, beaten, tased, all while being called a traitor to my country.” He added that he heard rioters shout, “Kill him with his own gun.”
“Nothing, truly nothing, has prepared me to address those elected members of our government who continue to deny the events of that day,” he testified to Congress. “And, in doing so, betray their oath of office.”
He feels that this public stance has made him persona non grata among his fellow officers.
“Clearly, there are some members of our department who feel their oath is to Donald Trump and not to the Constitution,” he said. “I no longer felt like I could trust my fellow officers and decided it was time to make a change.
“In a lot of ways, our department has forgotten about January 6 and has allowed itself to become distracted from what happened. All I do is serve as a reminder of that.”
