Following his public testimony in front of the House committee investigating the Capitol riot, Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn spoke to CBS about his recent experiences. Besides his other remarks, Dunn attracted attention during his original testimony for proclaiming that what he called a “hit man” was behind the Capitol rioters, and in the interview that aired on CBS, Dunn made clear that he was referring to Donald Trump. Dunn’s comments, the officer noted, are based upon the basic facts of what happened — ahead of the riot, Trump held a rally calling for a “fight” on behalf of the country against imaginary election fraud. Separately, Trump spent months promoting these false election fraud claims before the riot, and these conspiracy theories inspired the violence that day.
On CBS, Dunn first said as follows, regarding himself and D.C. officer Michael Fanone, who, like Dunn, participated in the January defense of the Capitol and testified before Congress:
‘We have the same goal in mind, and that’s about accountability and justice — and the truth.’
Then, asked who exactly he was referring to when he said during his Congressional testimony that a “hit man” sent the rioters to the Capitol, Dunn added as follows:
‘There was a rally prior to the attack. There was a rally — those facts exist. There were quotes said like, we gotta fight like hell, or you won’t have a country left… Those were [Trump’s] words.’
Asked whether he believes that Trump should testify before the committee investigating the riot, Dunn said that he was unsure and called the question “their job,” referring to the committee members. Dunn also explained how he’s discussed what took place at the Capitol with his young daughter, sharing that he explained to her that “some bad people tried to do some bad things to the Capitol and to the country, and the good guys won.” According to CBS correspondent Nikole Killion, who interviewed Dunn, the officer also said that he would be willing to testify once more before the House committee investigating the circumstances of what happened.
Watch Dunn’s CBS remarks about these matters below:
Dunn’s revelations, and those from his fellow officers, have already been powerful. Dunn has shared, for instance, how Black officers standing against the Trump insurrectionists faced appalling racist harassment. In addition to the threats that targeted him, Dunn said that a fellow Black officer told him that he “had been confronted by insurrectionists in the Capitol who told him, ‘Put your gun down, and we’ll show you what kind of n*gger you really are.'” This despicable and dangerous vitriol is what Donald Trump fostered.
