Michael Fanone, D.C. Officer Beaten by Capitol Rioters, Quits Force to Join CNN

Michael Fanone, the District of Columbia police officer who was dragged into a mob and beaten by rioters during the U.S. Capitol attack last January, has resigned from the force and will take a job with CNN.

Fanone submitted his resignation to the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department on Monday, nearly a year after the 41-year-old officer was knocked unconscious and injured during the Capitol assault, The Washington Post reported. He will officially leave the force on December 31.

On Monday, CNN's chief media correspondent, Brian Stelter, tweeted that a network spokesperson confirmed that Fanone will take on a new role as an on-air contributor on law enforcement issues.

Fanone, who voted for former President Donald Trump in 2016 but not in 2020, was outspoken about the January 6 attack in the months that followed. He made extensive media appearances and appeared before Congress to recount the attack in detail and to describe his physical injuries and emotional trauma.

In July, he told the House select committee investigating the riot that he was "grabbed, beaten, Tased, all while being called a traitor to my country." He also said he heard rioters shout, "Kill him with his own gun."

Fanone made many public appearances following the attack, repeatedly speaking out against lawmakers who downplayed the seriousness of the day's events and warning that the riot posed a legitimate threat to democracy.

"Nothing, truly nothing, has prepared me to address those elected members of our government who continue to deny the events of that day. And, in doing so, betray their oath of office," the officer testified to Congress.

He said he believes that his public stance made him unpopular among fellow officers, who he alleged chastised him in various online forums. Fanone told the Post that there are only two D.C. police officers he still considers friends.

"Clearly, there are some members of our department who feel their oath is to Donald Trump and not to the Constitution," he said on Monday. "I no longer felt like I could trust my fellow officers and decided it was time to make a change."

Fanone returned to limited duty with the D.C. police in September, although he expressed disappointment that he was assigned to a technical division—a position he suspected he was given because of the public profile he gained in the riot's aftermath.

"In a lot of ways, our department has forgotten about January 6 and has allowed itself to become distracted from what happened," he told the Post. "All I do is serve as a reminder of that."

Newsweek reached out to CNN and the D.C. Metropolitan Police for further comment but did not hear back before publication.