Michael Fanone, previously an officer with the D.C. Metropolitan Police, who was gravely injured defending the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, found himself in a tense exchange with election skeptic Ivan Raiklin during a congressional hearing on Thursday, which featured former special counsel Jack Smith.
The altercation unfolded when the House Judiciary Committee paused its session. The hearing involved a lengthy debate between Smith, who justified his actions in securing two indictments against former President Donald Trump, and congressional Republicans, who accused Smith of overreaching by subpoenaing their phone records.
Raiklin, a far-right activist and advocate of the notion that the 2020 election was illegitimately taken from Trump, called out to Fanone, who was seated just ahead of him, as shown in the hearing’s livestream.
“Hey buddy, go f*** yourself,” responded Fanone, who wore a shirt emblazoned with “Fighting Nazis Since 1996,” after Raiklin attempted to engage him in conversation.
Raiklin questioned Fanone’s use of profanity, asking him twice, “Why do you have to swear at me?” as Fanone moved away.
“Don’t pretend like we’re not mortal enemies. Go f*** yourself,” Fanone shot back.
Raiklin then said he always communicates professionally with Fanone, before adding that the former cop needed people around him to ‘contain’ his ‘Tourette’s Syndrome’.
At this point, a visibly furious Fanone marched back up to Raiklin and called him ‘a traitor to this f***ing country’.
Pictured: Former D.C. Metropolitan Police officer Michael Fanone argues with 2020 election denier Ivan Raiklin at Thursday’s congressional hearing featuring Jack Smith, who prosecuted Donald Trump
Fanone, who was present at the January 6 riot in 2021 and was badly beaten, repeatedly told Raiklin to ‘go f*** yourself’. He also called him a ‘traitor’
Fanone ended his spat with Raiklin by accusing him of threatening his family and threatening to rape his children, both unverified claims
At the House Judiciary Committee hearing, Smith defended his prosecutions of Trump under Republican scrutiny
Raiklin continued the argument by calling Fanone ‘spasmodic’. Fanone responded by repeating the phrase, ‘Do something’.
By this point, Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, had noticed the spat between the two men and was banging his gavel to try to get control of the room.
Reporters and photographers also noticed what was going on and swarmed the two men hoping to get a viral photo of them going at it.
‘See how many people are restraining you, and look at me, totally in control over my mind and body,’ Raiklin said to Fanone.
Harry Dunn, a former Capitol Police officer who was also present at January 6, tried to pull Fanone away to avoid any escalations. Two current Capitol Police officers also stepped into the mix to separate the two.
‘This guy has threatened my family, threatened my children, threatened to rape my children, you sick bastard,’ Fanone said to Raiklin while being escorted out of the room.
Fanone’s claims are unverified, and Raiklin took to social media after the hearing to imply that he may sue Fanone for defamation.
Raiklin was one of the pioneers of the dubious legal theory that Vice President Mike Pence could unilaterally reject certified state electoral college votes that had went to Joe Biden, thereby setting up a situation where Trump could win the 2020 election.
Fanone was able to stay at the hearing and later told Republican Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas to go f*** himself while the congressman blamed the violence on January 6 on Capitol Police leadership
After Nehls was done speaking, he called Fanone out for flipping him off, saying the former police officer needed ‘medication’
At the Smith hearing, Republicans pushed back on Smith’s insistence that Trump (pictured speaking at the Ellipse before the January 6 Capitol Riot) was responsible for the violence that day
In a tweet on December 23, 2020, Raiklin dubbed the idea the ‘Operation Pence Card’. At the time, Trump retweeted it.
Raiklin stayed at the Smith hearing after the confrontation with Fanone but left a short time later, according to The Hill.
Fanone was allowed to return to the hearing room and later said ‘Go f*** yourself’ to Republican Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas during his speaking time.
Nehls said the blame for the chaos on January 6 didn’t lie with Trump but with Capitol Police leadership. After Nehls was done, Fanone flipped the congressman off.
‘Your hand gestures, Mr. Fanone. You need medication,’ Nehls responded.
Fanone was present at the US Capitol Building when rioters breached the doors and went inside. According to his body camera video, he was pulled into the crowd and beaten. He was also repeatedly tased with a stun gun.
Following the assault, he suffered a minor heart attack, a concussion and a traumatic brain injury.
Daniel ‘D.J.’ Rodriguez was later convicted for using the stun gun on Fanone and sentenced to 12 years in prison.
When Trump returned to the White House on January 20, 2025, Rodriguez received a full pardon and was released from prison that same week. Over 1,500 January 6 defendants were granted clemency by Trump.
