According to one of the Capitol cops who suffered injuries on Jan. 6 when supporters of Donald Trump staged an insurrection and sent members of Congress fleeing for their lives, he and his colleagues worry that the same Republicans he protected that day will turn their backs on them again if history repeats itself in 2024.
In an interview with Salon's Chauncey DeVega, Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, one of four officers who testified before the House select committee investigating Donald Trump's part in inciting the riot, suggested Capitol police would be "restrained" by Republicans from repelling a second attack.
Gonell started off by asserting that some Trump supporters think nothing bad happened on Jan. 6, while others acknowledge what occurred but downplay how bad it was.
In particular, he pointed the finger at GOP lawmakers, telling DeVega that "some of the same people who are saying those ridiculous things are the very same people who I risked my life for on that day at the Capitol. How can you reconcile that? I risked my life to protect you and then you turn around and say, 'Well, these were my friends. These were my supporters. It's okay. We condone the violence on Jan. 6 because of that.'"
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With that in mind, he added that "some of the same Republicans who were running for their lives on Jan. 6, who me and the other Capitol Police were risking our lives to defend, are now saying that the Jan. 6 mob are 'political prisoners' or 'peaceful protesters' and should be released. These Republicans claim to support the police and the rule of law, but they are demanding that the same people who assaulted me should be freed."
Because of that, Gonell suggested, some GOP members of Congress not only can't be counted on to stand up for the rule of law, but may give moral support to the next wave of Trump partisans if another Jan. 6 occurs.
"Frankly, if another Jan. 6 took place, I would not trust these Republicans to not betray me and the other police," he bluntly stated. "Would the Republicans keep us from protecting the Capitol from Trump's followers? Yes. Perhaps even restrain us and hold us down? Yes, I believe they would."
You can read his whole interview here.
