Former US Capitol officer calls out Trump’s Jan. 6 pardons during Wisconsin visit

A former U.S. Capitol police officer used a visit to Wisconsin Tuesday to call out President Donald Trump’s recent pardons of people involved in the attack on the U.S. Capitol four years ago. 

Former U.S. Capitol officer Harry Dunn defended the Capitol when rioters stormed the property on Jan. 6, 2021 in an effort to block former President Joe Biden from taking office.

On his first day in office, President Donald Trump pardoned more than 1,500 people who were charged with crimes for their actions during the insurrection. Those pardons included 11 defendants from Wisconsin.

While speaking at the Milwaukee Area Labor Council headquarters Tuesday morning, Dunn said he wasn’t surprised by the president’s actions because Trump often discussed the idea while on the campaign trail.

“So I wasn’t shocked,” Dunn said. “My shock and dismay or anger was the people who are shocked about it now, because, like I said, y’all weren’t paying attention.” 

“If you’re surprised, you were not paying attention,” he added.

Dunn, who wrote a book about what he experienced during the insurrection, said he’s received death threats and hate mail for speaking out. He was among former officers who testified before the Jan. 6 committee who received pre-emptive pardons from former President Joe Biden

“I wish that everybody could see what happened on Jan. 6 and call it for what it was, even now, four years after,” Dunn said Tuesday. ” But the fact that they aren’t is the reason that I am here.” 

Dunn was in Wisconsin to talk about the state Supreme Court race. He has also campaigned for former Vice President Kamala Harris in her failed attempt to win the White House.

“I’ll be damned if I ever stop pushing back against these lies, these narratives, these people, that think it’s OK what happened that day,” he said.

Around 140 officers were injured during the attack on the Capitol. The Fraternal Order of Police, which endorsed Trump for president, also called out the pardons in a joint statement with the the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll released the day after the presidential pardons found the majority of Americans don’t support the move.

But Trump defended his actions while speaking with reporters last week, according to an NPR report.

“This proclamation ends a grave national injustice that has been perpetrated upon the American people over the last four years and begins a process of national reconciliation,” the White House proclamation about the pardon stated.