Capitol Riot Cop Slams GOP Congressman Who Refused To Shake His Hand: ‘He Ran as Quickly as He Could Like a Coward’

The Republican congressman who said the January 6 Capitol insurrection looked “a normal tourist visit,” and who also refused to shake the hand of a D.C. Metropolitan police officer who was beaten and tased by rioters that day, was put on blast by that officer on Wednesday night

Earlier on Wednesday, Officer Michael Fanone went to the Capitol hoping to speak to, or at least schedule appointments with, the 21 House Republicans who voted against a bill awarding Congressional Gold Medals to law enforcement officers who responded to the January 6 insurrection. The final vote was 406 to 21 in favor.

CNN’s Don Lemon played a clip of Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA) making the aforementioned “tourist visit” comment, before showing a photo of Clyde on January 6 trying to barricade a door in the Capitol as the rioters ran amok seeking to overturn the 2020 election.

“So what happened when you introduced yourself to the congressman?” Lemon asked.

Fanone said he spotted Clyde waiting for an elevator, which they entered. He said Clyde refused to shake his hand before scurrying off “like a coward”:

I greeted Congressman Clyde. I was very cordial. I extended my hand to shake his hand. He just stared at me. I asked him if he was going to shake my hand and he told me that he didn’t who know I was. So I introduced myself. I said that I was Officer Michael Fanone, that I was a D.C. Metropolitan police officer who fought on January 6th to defend the Capitol. And as a result, I suffered a traumatic brain injury as well as a heart attack after having been tased numerous times at the base of my skull, as well as being severely beaten.

At that point the congressman turned away from me, pulled out his cellphone. It looked like he was attempting to pull up like an audio recording app on his phone. And again, like never acknowledged me at any point. As soon as the elevator doors opened, he ran as quickly as he could like a coward.

Lemon asked, “What do you think of that?”

“Obviously, I took that particular interaction like, very personally. But I also took it as a representation of Andrew Clyde giving the middle finger to myself and every other member of the Metropolitan Police Department and U.S. Capitol police that responded that day.”

Later, Fanone told Lemon, “At this point, if you’re gonna sling bullshit about January 6th, I’m gonna call you out on it, and you’re gonna be held accountable.”

Fanone was nearly killed when the pro-Trump mob dragged him down some stairs and beat him with metal pipes. “Kill him with his own gun!” he recalled one of the rioters saying.

Watch above via CNN.