MSNBC anchor Jonathan Capehart fought back tears and was forced to pull out a tissue during a segment on the three-year anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021 storming of the Capitol.
Capehart was interviewing former Capitol Police officer Michael Fanone, who penned a book on the ransacking of the Capitol, when he became visibly overcome with emotions.
“Michael Fanone, I’m going to try to get through this – um, thank you for what you did three years ago today,” Capeheart said as he choked up.
“Please, tell me your thoughts on this third anniversary.”
Fanone was one of the officers at the Capitol that day and ultimately retired after the riot. He famously delivered testimony to the since-defunct House Select Committee on Jan. 6.
The former officer had been tased, beaten, suffered a traumatic brain injury, and had a heart attack as a result of the storming of the Capitol.
Back in February of last year, a California man pleaded not guilty to attacking him during the riot.
“I think it’s an all-hands-on-deck effort to make sure that Donald Trump doesn’t assume the presidency in 2024,” Fanone told MSNBC. “We all know what that’s gonna look like, he’s told us as much.”
Fanone has previously commended President Biden for using his bully pulpit to give “some fiery speeches” about the events at the Capitol on Jan. 6 and coinciding efforts to thwart the 2020 election.
Biden delivered an impassioned speech near Valley Forge, a key Revolutionary War site, on Jan. 5 to mark the anniversary of the riot and warn about ongoing threats to US democracy.
His remarks came as the legal case against participants continues to unfold and evolve.
Last Friday, the DC Court of Appeals determined that individuals who were illegally at the Capitol during the time of the riot could be convicted even if they were peacefully observing the mayhem.
Meanwhile, the Justice Department continues to prosecute the case against perpetrators of the riot. Well over 1,200 have been charged, and at least 718 have pleaded guilty, while almost 140 have been found guilty for their actions that fateful day.
Moreover, there is litigation pending over whether former President Donald Trump can be permitted to appear on primary ballots in key states over his own actions related to Jan. 6, 2021.
Last week, the US Supreme Court agreed to take up Trump’s challenge to his disqualification from the Colorado primary ballot. For the time being, he is allowed to stay on the ballot amid the challenge.
Lawyers for the 2024 GOP frontrunner have also filed a formal appeal of the Dec. 28 decision by Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, a Democrat, to keep him off the state’s March 5 primary ballot.