Michael Fanone

Michael Fanone (born September 3, 1980) is an American law enforcement analyst, author, and retired police officer. He worked for the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia from 2001 until his retirement in 2021. Fanone was one of many victims of the January 6 United States Capitol attack, and famously testified with his colleagues in front of the House Select January 6 Committee in 2021. He is currently a CNN on-air contributor.

Michael Fanone
Fanone in 2021
Born (1980-09-03) September 3, 1980
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Alma materBallou High School
Police career
Country United States of America
Allegiance District of Columbia
Department United States Capitol Police
Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia
Service years2001–2021
StatusRetired
RankSworn in as an officer (2001)
AwardsPresidential Citizens Medal (2023)
Other workLaw enforcement analyst

Early life

Fanone was born on September 3, 1980, and raised in Alexandria, Virginia.[1] His mother, Terry Fanone, is a social worker and his father is a lawyer at a large law firm. They divorced when he was eight years old. His mother came from a working-class family in rural Maryland. Fanone attended St. Mary's Elementary School, and Georgetown Preparatory School for a year. He then attended boarding school in Maine. He left to work in construction and graduated from Ballou High School.[1]

Early career

Fanone joined the United States Capitol Police during the aftermath of the September 11 attacks.[1] A few years later, he joined the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia, remaining a member for approximately 20 years. He worked primarily as a plain-clothes and undercover officer, investigating narcotics trafficking.[1] In 2010 he illegally stopped and frisked a black attorney, which caused the city to payout $175,000 (~$215,397 in 2021) to the victim.

2021 United States Capitol attack and retirement
Fanone testifies before the House Select January 6 Committee on July 27, 2021. Fanone put into graphic detail his experience with rioters as a Capitol police officer.
See also: January 6 United States Capitol attack

During the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol Fanone, who did not go on duty until the afternoon, self-deployed in response to radio calls for assistance. He was assaulted by rioters—dragged down the Capitol steps, beaten with pipes, stunned with a Taser, sprayed with chemical irritants, and threatened with his own gun. Fanone suffered burns, a heart attack, a traumatic brain injury, and post-traumatic stress disorder as a result.[2][3][4] Fanone was one of four Capitol Police officers to testify before the United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack, in which he discussed his experiences with rioters that afternoon in honest, graphic detail.[1]

In June 2021, Fanone asked Kevin McCarthy and other Republicans in Congress to denounce the January 6 conspiracies.[5] Due to physical and emotional injuries, he returned to limited duty in September 2021,[6] working in the technical and analytical services bureau.[6] In October 2021, one of the men charged with assaulting Fanone was released from jail and put under house arrest.[7] After submitting his resignation, Fanone's last day on duty was December 31, 2021.[8]

CNN contributions and activism
President Joe Biden presents the Presidential Citizens Medal to Fanone on January 6, 2023

Fanone joined CNN in January 2022 as an on-air contributor and law enforcement analyst.[9][10][11]

Ahead of the second anniversary of the January 6 United States Capitol attack, Fanone wrote a letter, signed by more than 1,000 veterans, law enforcement, active military members and family, calling on Republican leadership in the United States House of Representatives to denounce political violence. The letter was hand delivered by military veterans to top Republican leaders, and Fanone delivered a copy of the letter to the office of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.[12] Fanone and dozens of military veterans, including House members Reps. Jason Crow, Chrissy Houlahan, Mikie Sherrill, and Chris Deluzio, also spoke at a rally in front of the United States Capitol, which was organized by the groups Courage for America and Common Defense.[13][14]

On January 6, 2023, Fanone was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal by President Joe Biden.[15]

On June 21, 2023, Daniel Rodriguez, one of the men who attacked Fanone with a stun gun on January 6, 2021, was sentenced to 12 and a half years in federal prison by Judge Amy Berman Jackson.[16]

Personal life
Fanone at the 2022 Texas Book Festival.

Fanone is divorced and has four daughters.[1] While he remained estranged from his ex-wife until the January 6 attack, after the attack he described her as "a pretty integral part of [his] support system".[17]

He lives in Virginia with his mother. Fanone was formerly a supporter of Donald Trump and voted for him in the 2016 United States presidential election,[4] but stopped supporting him after his dismissal of James Comey and after comments he made that he perceived to be anti-Asian.[17]

In August 2023, Fanone wrote a CNN op-ed in which he called for a ban on the AR-15.[18]

Bibliography
  • Fanone, Michael; Shiffman, John (2022). Hold the Line: The Insurrection and One Cop's Battle for America's Soul. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 9781668007198.

References
  1. Ball, Molly (August 5, 2021). "Officer Mike Fanone Survived Jan. 6. Then His Trials Began". Time. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  2. Hermann, Peter (December 20, 2021). "Fanone resigns from D.C. police force 11 months after battling rioters at Capitol". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 21, 2021. Michael Fanone, the D.C. police officer who was dragged into a mob and beaten during the Jan. 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol and later publicly excoriated lawmakers and others who downplayed the attack, said he submitted his resignation from the force Monday.
  3. Polantz, Katelyn; Lybrand, Holmes; Rabinowitz, Hannah (December 1, 2021). "Capitol rioter describes his assault of police officer". CNN. Retrieved December 21, 2021. This is not how we back the blue. And I tased one of them," Rodriguez said in the interview. When asked what he would tell Fanone now, Rodriguez sobbed, then muttered, with his head down: "I'm sorry he had to go through that. It's not right that he had to suffer like that. And it puts fear in him and worrying about his life. He was scared for his own life and thought about having to kill us. And he was willing to die because of his beliefs, too.
  4. Recker, Jane (August 5, 2021). "8 Gripping Details From Time's Cover Story on DC Cop Michael Fanone". Washingtonian. Retrieved December 28, 2021. Time Magazine just released a new profile on Michael Fanone, the DC cop and narcotics officer who gained notoriety for his bravery in defending the US Capitol on January 6 (bodycam footage shows that he was tased, beaten with pipes, dragged down the Capitol steps, and threatened with his own gun) and for his continuing efforts to keep the day from being forgotten.
  5. Raju, Manu; Foran, Clare (June 25, 2021). "Officer injured in Capitol riot asks McCarthy to denounce GOP January 6 conspiracies". CNN. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  6. Hermann, Peter (September 9, 2021). "D.C. officer Michael Fanone returns to work eight months after fighting pro-Trump mob at Capitol". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  7. Cohen, Marshall (October 26, 2021). "Man charged with assaulting DC Police officer Fanone to be released". CNN. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  8. Mishra, Stuti (December 21, 2021). "Capitol riot officer Michael Fanone retires from police force ahead of anniversary". The Independent. Archived from the original on May 12, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  9. Dellatto, Marisa (December 20, 2021). "Michael Fanone—Former D.C. Police Officer Injured During Capitol Riot—Joining CNN". Forbes. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  10. Mastrangelo, Dominick (January 4, 2022). "CNN hires DC officer who testified to Jan. 6 committee". The Hill. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  11. Zengerle, Jason (January 26, 2022). "To Hell and Back, Then to CNN". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  12. Fields, Gary (January 4, 2023). "Groups urge GOP House leaders to condemn political violence". Associated Press. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  13. "Michael Fanone and Military Veterans Hold Rally on Eve of January 6th Anniversary". C-SPAN. January 4, 2023. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  14. Gans, Jared (January 5, 2023). "Dem members, Fanone call on GOP to condemn political violence ahead of Jan. 6 anniversary". The Hill. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  15. "Biden grants Presidential Citizens Medals 2 years after Jan. 6 Capitol attack". www.cbsnews.com. CBS News. January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  16. Lybrand, Holmes (June 21, 2023). "Man who used stun gun to attack Michael Fanone on January 6 sentenced to over 12 years in prison | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  17. Morris, Alex (October 2, 2022). "Michael Fanone Is Not Your Fucking Hero". Rolling Stone.
  18. Fanone, Michael (June 5, 2022). "Opinion: Here's the reason people tell me they want to buy an AR-15. And it's simply ludicrous". CNN. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
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