A tense House Judiciary Committee hearing erupted into open hostility on Thursday as Representative Troy Nehls confronted former Special Counsel Jack Smith and a group of former DC police officers. Nehls vowed a thorough investigation by a newly formed Select Committee into the events of January 6, promising to uncover truths previously obscured.
Four officers – Michael Fanone and Daniel Hodges of the DC Metropolitan Police, and Aquilino Gonell and Harry Dunn of the Capitol Police – were present, ostensibly to support Smith’s testimony. However, their presence quickly transformed into a display of raw emotion and direct confrontation.
Nehls’s pointed remarks ignited a furious response from Fanone, who audibly interrupted the Congressman with a vulgar outburst disguised as a cough. When cautioned by Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, Fanone reportedly scoffed dismissively, further escalating the tension in the room.
The animosity didn’t subside. As Nehls yielded the floor to Representative Jefferson Van Drew, Fanone openly displayed a defiant gesture, directing an obscene hand signal towards the Texas Congressman. Nehls responded with a sharp retort, suggesting Fanone seek medical attention.
The core of Nehls’s challenge centered on accusations that Smith’s investigation into President Trump was politically motivated. He accused Smith of attempting to “criminalize political speech,” impose “unlawful gag orders,” and illegally surveil Republican lawmakers, including the Speaker of the House.
Nehls argued that Smith’s efforts weren’t about upholding the law, but about dismantling Trump’s presidency and targeting his allies. He pointed to the outcome of the November election as evidence that the American people had rejected what he characterized as a “witch hunt.”
Turning his attention to the former police officers, Nehls asserted that the blame for the security failures on January 6 didn’t lie with Trump, but with Yogananda Pittman, then a leader within the US Capitol Police, and the broader Capitol leadership team. He claimed intelligence existed indicating a high potential for violence that day.
This assertion proved to be the catalyst for Fanone’s initial outburst. The exchange underscored a deep-seated resentment and a fundamental disagreement over who bore responsibility for the events of that day.
The heated atmosphere continued as Representative Van Drew spoke, prompting another interruption from Ranking Member Jamie Raskin, who vehemently defended the previous committee’s findings and again placed blame on President Trump for the security lapses.
Nehls concluded his remarks by reiterating his commitment to a comprehensive investigation, promising to expose what he believed was a deliberate attempt by the previous January 6th Committee to prevent Trump from returning to office. He insisted that the truth, long suppressed, would finally come to light.
He emphasized that the previous committee’s 845-page report mentioned Trump’s name over 4,200 times, highlighting what he saw as an obsessive focus on the former president rather than a genuine examination of the factors contributing to the day’s events.
