Dusty Blows Partisan Smoke to Distract from Insurrection

Congressman Dusty Johnson sorta kinda demonstrated his commitment to truth and the rule of law by breaking from his insurrection-excusing party leaders and voting for the resolution to create an independent commission to investigate the January 6 insurrection. Since his extremist-quisling colleagues in the Senate blocked that investigation, Speaker Nancy Pelosi had to create a House select committee for this important purpose. Johnson refused to support that investigation, and now he’s out running political interference, trying to prevent us from paying attention to the compelling testimony of the Capitol Police officers whom his base attacked on January 6 in an effort to overthrow our Constitution.

Johnson complains that Speaker Pelosi is exercising the prerogatives of her office:

Asked about the removal of Rep. Jim Jordan from the committee by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Johnson lamented the move, calling it a mistake. “It has never been the case before that the Speaker of the House has decided that he or she get to select all of the members on a committee,” he says [Jacob Newton, “Rep. Dusty Johnson Gives Thoughts on First Day of January 6 Hearings,” KELO-TV, 2021.07.27].

Even KELO-TV can’t let that claim go unchecked:

This claim by Johnson that Pelosi opted to choose all members of the committee is not quite accurate. GOP House Leader Kevin McCarthy proposed 5 members, including Jordan. Pelosi, as Speaker has the power to approve or deny members, and objected to two members (Jordan and Indiana Rep. Jim Banks) chosen by McCarthy citing the “integrity” of the probe. In response, McCarthy pulled the remaining members he had put forth, saying that the GOP will not take part if Jordan and Banks were not allowed.

In addition to the Democrats on the committee, Pelosi also appointed Republicans Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, both vocal Trump critics [Newton, 2021.07.27].

Congressman Johnson makes a specious appeal to “diversity”, but come on, Dusty: “diversity” does not require including liars and idiots on a mission. Your leadership attempted to sabotage the committee with Republican members who argue that there is nothing for us to investigate. When a rape happens, we don’t assign to the case to cops who don’t believe anyone was raped or who don’t believe we should investigate the rape or who falsely blame the victim or who encouraged the rapist or who want to hijack the rape investigation to look into an unrelated break-in across town. We assign investigators who want to investigate the rape.

For those more concerned with truth and the rule of law than Representative Johnson’s flimsy interference, read what the four police officers, men who were willing to sacrifice far more than votes to protect the Capitol and the Constitution, said to the House select committee on its first day of hearings on the January 6 insurrection. Here are portions of the opening testimony of U.S. Capitol Police Sergeant Aquilino Gonell, a patriot who emigrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic and chose to put his life on the line for his chosen country:

…It is imperative that the events of January 6th are fully investigated in the Congress, and the American people know the truth of what actually occurred and that all those responsible are held accountable, particularly to ensure that horrific and shameful event in our history never repeats itself. I applaud you for pursuing this objective.

Even though there’s overwhelming evidence to the contrary, including hours and hours of videos and photographic coverage, there’s a continued shocking attempt to ignore or try to destroy the truth of what truly happened that day and to whitewash the facts into something other than what they unmistakinigly reveal, an attack on our democracy by violent domestic extremists and a stain on our history and our moral standing here at home and abroad.

As a child in the Dominican Republic, I look up to the United States as the land of opportunity and a place to better myself. And from that moment I landed at JFK in 1992, I have tried to pursue that goal. Thankfully, I achieved that goal on many levels. I was the first in my family to graduate college, join the Army and become a police officer. On July 23rd, 1999, the day before my 21st birthday, I raised my hand and swore to protect the Constitution of the United States, because this country gave me an opportunity to become anything that I wanted. At that time, I already started basic training with the Army Reserves. In fact, I raised my hand several times in ceremonies to pledge my commitment to defend and protect the Constitution of the United States, when I joined the Army Reserves, when I was promoted to Sergeant in the Army, when I was promoted during my naturalization ceremony and my reenlistment in the Army, when I joined the United States Capitol Police, and lastly, when I was promoted to Sergeant three years ago.

I’ve always taken my oath seriously. On January 6th, 2021, I fulfilled my oath once more, this time to defend the United States Capitol and members of Congress carrying out their constitutional duties to certify the results of the November 2020 presidential election. To be honest, I did not recognize my fellow citizens who stormed the Capitol on January 6th or the United States that they claimed to represent. When I was 25 years old and then a Sergeant in the Army, I had deployed to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom. From time to time, I volunteered to travel on IED infested roles to conduct supply missions for US and allied forces in local Iraqi population as well. But on January 6th for the first time, I was more afraid to work at the Capitol than my entire deployment to Iraq.

In Iraq, we expected armed violence because we were in a war zone, but nothing my experience in the army or as a law enforcement officer prepared me for what we confronted on January 6th. The verbal assaults and disrespect we endured from the rioters were bad enough. I was falsely accused of betraying my oath, of choosing my paycheck over my loyalty to the US Constitution, even as I defended the very democratic process that protected everyone in the hostile crowd. While I was at the lower west terrace of the Capitol working with my fellow officers to prevent the breach and restore order, the rioters called me traitor, a disgrace and that I, an Army veteran and a police officer, should be executed.

Some of the rioters had the audacity to tell me there was nothing personal, that they would go through me, through us police officers to achieve their goal, as they were breaking metal barriers to use as a weapon against us. Other—

… to use as a weapon against us. All they use more menacing language. “If you shoot us, we all have weapons, we will shoot back, or we’ll get our guns. We outnumber you,” they say, “Join us.” I heard specific threats to the lives of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and then also Vice President Mike Pence. But the physical violence we experienced was horrific and devastating. My fellow officers and I were punched, kicked, shoved, sprayed with chemical irritants. And he’d been blinded with eye damaging lasers by a violent mob, who apparently saw us law enforcement officer dedicated to ironically protecting them as US citizens as an impediment to their attempted insurrection. The mob brought weapons to try to accomplish their insurrectionist objectives, and used them against us. These weapons included hammers, rebars, knives, baton and police shields taken by force, as well as bear spray and pepper spray.

Some of the rioters wore tactical gear, including bulletproof vests in gas masks. A rioter also forcibly took our batons and shields to use them against us. I was particularly shocked at the scene, the insurrectionist violently attacked us with the very American flag that they claimed to serve to protect. Based on the coordinated attacks that we observed and the verbal commands we heard, it appears that many of these attackers had law enforcement or military experience. The rioters were vicious and relentless. We found ourselves in a violent battle, desperate to attempt to prevent a breach of the Capitol by the entrance near the inauguration stage. Metropolitan Police Officers were being pulled into the crowd. We have one right here, right next to me.

…I continued to fend off new attackers, as they kept rotating and attacking us again and again. What we were subjected that day was like something from a Medieval battle. We fall hand to hand, inch by inch to prevent an invasion of the Capitol by a violent mob intent on subverting our democratic process. My fellow officers and I were committed to not letting any rioters breach the Capitol. It was a prolonged and desperate struggle. The rioters attempted to breach the Capitol were shouting, “Trump sent us. Take the right side. We want Trump.”

…I later find out that my wife and relatives were here in the US and abroad, were frantically calling and texting me from 2:00 PM onward because they were watching the turmoil on television. It was now 4:26 PM. After giving CPR to one of the rioters who breached the Capitol in an effort to save her life, that I finally had a chance to let my own family know that I was alive. After order had finally been restored at the Capitol and many hours, I arrived at home at nearly 4:00 AM on January 7th. I had to push my wife away from me because she wanted to hug me. I told her no because of all the chemicals my uniform had on. I’m sorry.

I couldn’t sleep because the chemical reactivated after I took a shower and my skin was burning. I finally fell asleep two hours later, completely physically and mentally exhausted, yet by eight o’clock AM, I was already on my way back to the Capitol. And I continued to work for 15 consecutive days until after the integration. I made sure to work despite my injuries, because I wanted to continue doing my job and help secure the Capitol complex. More than six months later, I’m still trying to recover from my injuries.

…There are some who express outrage when someone kneels while calling for social justice. Where are those same people expressing the outrage to condemn the violent attack on law enforcement at the Capitol in our American democracy? I’m still waiting for them. As America and the world watched in horror what was at the Capitol, we did not receive timely reinforcement and support we needed. In contrast, during the Black Lives Matter protests last year, US Capitol Police had all the support we needed and more. Why the different response?

…I could have lost my life that day, not once but many times. But as soon as I recover from my injuries, I will continue forward and proudly serve my country in the US Capitol Police. As an immigrant to the United States, I’m especially proud to have defended the US Constitution and our democracy on January 6th. I hope that everyone in the position of authority in our country has the courage and conviction to do their part by investigating what happened on that terrible day and why. This investigation is essential to our democracy, and I’m deeply grateful to you for undertaking. I’m happy to assist as I can and answer any question you may have to the best of my ability. Thank you [Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, U.S. Capitol Police, testimony to U.S. House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, transcribed by Rev.com, 2021.07.27.

Sergeant Gonell, fellow U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn, and Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Officers Michael Fanone and Daniel Hodges gave blood, sweat, and tears to protect our Congress and our Constitution from violent insurrectionists, but Congressman Dusty Johnson is whining about not getting enough of his party’s members, people who promoted that insurrection, on the investigating committee. Here, Congressman Johnson represents the partisan toxicity that select committee member Rep. Adam Kinzinger cited from the dais yesterday:

“Like most Americans, I’m frustrated that six months after a deadly insurrection breached the United States Capitol for several hours on live television, we still don’t know exactly what happened,” Kinzinger said at another point. “Why? Because many in my party have treated this as just another partisan fight. It’s toxic” [Aaron Rupar, “The First January 6 Hearing Was a Harrowing Indictment of the GOP,” Vox, 2021.07.27].

These four police officers and the House select committee are trying to bore through a mountain of lies being told by traitors to prevent us from holding them accountable for trying to destroy the Constitution. Congressman Dusty Johnson is interfering with that effort and supporting the lies of his party with his partisan distractions.