Thread by @sarahposner

Liz Cheney says that notwithstanding her partisan differences with Dems on the Select Committee, "we are one nation under God."

This is a shot at her Republican colleagues -- who use "one nation under God" as a partisan, nationalist bludgeon.

Cheney: Jan. 6 "threatens our most sacred legacy" (the rule of law).

*Sacred.*

More: will we "throw away the miracle of America?"

*Miracle.*

Cheney is very subtly pushing back on her colleagues' Christian nationalism.

Testimony by Sergeant Aquilino Gonell, about his immigration here from the Dominican Republic: "this country gave me an opportunity to be anything I wanted."

He served in Iraq. He said he was more afraid at the Capitol on 1/6 than ever was there.

"The verbal assaults and disrespect... were bad enough... I was falsely accused of betraying my oath..."

"Rioters called me traitor, a disgrace... shouted that I, I, an army officer... should be executed."

"The physical violence we experienced was horrific and devastating... mob saw us... as an impediment to their attempted insurrection."

"We found ourselves in a violent battle... MPD officers were being pulled into the crowd... As we tried to push the rioters back... rioters began to pull me by leg, my shield..." (Sergeant Gonell)

It "was like something from a medieval battle. We fought hand-to-hand, inch-by-inch... my fellow officers and I were committed to not letting any rioters breach the Capitol... [they] were shouting 'Trump sent us... we want Trump'"

"I recall thinking to myself, 'this is how I am going to die, defending this entrance..."

Gonell is recalling how his family were frantically calling him and texting him from 2:00pm onward, as they watched on TV.

After *he gave CPR to a rioter who breached the Capitol* he finally had a chance to call his family and tell them he was alright.

Gonell brings up people who complain about people kneeling for social justice. He asks: "where are those same people to condemn the violence done to law enforcement at the Capitol... I'm still waiting for them."

"We are not asking for medals... we simply want justice and accountability."

"I could have lost my life that day, not once, but many times," but Gonell says he will continue to serve. "As an immigrant, I am especially proud to have defended our democracy and Constitution that day."

Michael Fanone, DC MPD, says "I thought I had seen it all, many times over. Yet what I experienced on 1/6/21 was unlike anything I had ever seen... or could have imagined in my country."

"I was at risk of being stripped of, and killed by, my own firearm." The mob was chanting, "kill him with his own gun."

Fanone recounts "thousands and thousands of people determined to get past us by any means necessary." He was "swarmed by a violent mob" that grabbed his badge, radio, chanting "get his gun, kill him with his own gun"

He was *electrocuted* multiple times with a taser.

(Just remember how Trump called the crowd "loving")

"I said as loud as I could manage, 'I've got kids.'" A small number in the crowd helped him inside. But he had been beaten unconscious, and was taken to hospital, where he was told he had had a heart attack, concussion, traumatic brain injury, and PTSD.

"What makes the struggle more difficult" is that people he swore to defend are downplaying, denying. "The indifference shown to my colleagues is disgraceful," (Fanone struck the table in anger with this statement)

That indifference shown by *members of Congress* towards the officers who *protected them*.

Now DC MPD Officer Daniel Hodges. Says two colleagues were approached white men in tactical gear, one asked "is this all the manpower you have? Do you really think you're going to be able to stop all these people?"

Chilling.

Hodges testifies that he received word the bomb squad had located a bomb near the Capitol 1/6, something that was "not far from my mind" the rest of the day.

Hodges recounts the crowd yelling "traitors" AT THE POLICE.

One terrorist yelled at Hodges, "you will die on your knees."

He was hit in the head, and several terrorists wrestled him for his service weapon. "I braced myself for the impact of their blows and feared the worst." "The crowd started chanting, 'USA' at us."

A terrorist stole his radio, leaving him in the dark as to ... everything that was going on.

Hodges recounts the Christian nationalist imagery: "Jesus is king" "Jesus is my savior, Trump is my president"

#capitolsiegereligion

A man berated him, demanded he show "solidarity we the people, or we'll run over you"

Hodges is second of these police officers to testify that he had to engage in "hand-to-hand combat" with the terrorists.

Hodges says some tried "to convert us to their cult" while others beat them.

Hodges: a terrorist grabbed his gas mask to beat his head against the wall. "The mob of terrorists were coordinating their efforts now... crushing me against the metal door frame"

(Many of us have seen video of this, but it is even more horrific to hear him recount it)

Now US Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn: "still hurting from what happened that day."

He asks for a moment of silence for fallen colleague Brian Sicknick.

Dunn tells of being shown a screen grab of rioters' plans: "Trump has given us marching orders"

Dunn tells of holding his ground against rioters carrying Confederate flags, Trump flags, Don't Tread on Me Flag.

Insurrectionists dressed in militia garb/gear. More and more pouring into Speakers Lobby. Dunn told them to leave, they yelled, "No, man, this is our house. President Trump invited us here. We're here to stop the steal. Joe Biden isn't president."

Dunn, who is Black, told them, "I voted for Biden. Does my vote not count?"

One insurrectionist: "DId you hear that guys? This [n word] voted for Biden." Others booed, shouting "fucking [n-word]"

Other Black officers shared with Dunn how much racial abuse they endured from insurrectionists, including one who recounted that an insurrectionist said, "put your gun down, we'll show you what kind of [n-word] you are."

Dunn: that day, he sobbed, "how the blank could this have happened?"

Dunn, responding to Thompson Q: "to be frank, while the attack was happening, I wasn't able to process it as a racial attack, I was just trying to survive... when I did have a moment to process it... it was so overwhelming...that we live in a country with people like that"

"It was his supporters, he sent them over to the Capitol that day. He could have done a lot of things. One of them was tell them to stop." Gonell, testifying about Trump in response to questioning by Cheney.

Politico can't stop itself from framing it as:

Partisanship

Drama

(But not facts or accountability)

Hodges: "people who associate with Donald Trump are more likely to subscribe to that belief system."

That belief system? White nationalism.

Jamie Raskin says the insurrectionists will be remembered as "fascist traitors."

Let's *hope* that's the way they're remembered.

Hodges is now reading from the US Code defining domestic terrorism, to explain why he has used the word terrorist to describe the insurrectionists.

Dunn: "there was an attack carried out on January 6 and a hit man sent them. I want you to get to the bottom of that."