I Defended The Capitol On January 6. Now I'm Calling Out The Very Lawmakers I Was There To Protect - HuffingtonPost
Nine people did end up dead. I was so badly wounded that even after two surgeries, I wasn’t sure if I could do my job or take the lieutenant promotion I’d strived for. Instead of denouncing the siege and upholding the law, many of the Republican lawmakers I risked my life to shield did the unthinkable: They defended Trump and the insurrectionists. They claimed the violent uprising by that armed militia was “legitimate public discourse” and a “peaceful protest” conducted by “patriots.”
As a public servant for two decades, I was horrified to hear the invaders painted as victims and felt compelled to tell my story, but my wife and I were petrified that Trump’s influence could harm our family. So I kept my mouth shut.
Then Harry Dunn, a Black colleague of 13 years who was also traumatized by the attempted coup, spoke out. He exposed the violence and racist epithets hurled at him by the pro-Trump white nationalists who stormed the Capitol. In TV interviews, he revealed how he was berated and racially profiled by fellow U.S. citizens whose crimes were rationalized and concealed.
I identified with Dunn, a fellow policeman of color, vilified for doing his job. I waited for Republican leaders Lindsey Graham, Kevin McCarthy, Steve Scalise, Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley and Marco Rubio — people I’d met and protected — to condemn the revolt. Yet they refused to blame our lawless ex-president for causing this historic tragedy. Hawley actually raised his fist in support of the rioters and printed the image on a cup for sale on his website.
Link: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/capitol-riot-january-6-police-lawmakers_n_6547cd0be4b0e3ecaf89be7c
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