Officer at Capitol riot responds to questions of credibility: ‘I can’t put a Band-Aid on my emotions’
By Paul LeBlanc, CNN
A US Capitol Police officer who was the target of racist slurs during the January 6 insurrection rebuked questions about his credibility from conservative critics Wednesday evening, stating, “I can’t put a Band-Aid on my emotions.”
Harry Dunn — one of the four officers who testified Tuesday before the House select committee investigating the riot — told CNN’s Don Lemon on “Don Lemon Tonight,” “You know what hurts more, or just as much as what happened on January 6? The attacks — the attacks on our credibility and that we’re lying and that we don’t love our country and we’re fake police officers and we’re not real cops.”
Last week, Fox News host Tucker Carlson sought to undermine Dunn’s credibility in advance of his testimony, claiming without evidence that the officer “is an angry, left-wing political activist.”
“Dunn will pretend to speak for the country’s law enforcement community, but it turns out Dunn has very little in common with your average cop,” Carlson said on his show.
The comments prompted an immediate response from Dunn’s lawyers, and the officer told CNN on Wednesday evening that “it’s more than frustrating.” Though he wasn’t physically assaulted during the attack, Dunn asked, “If I came here with my arm in a sling, or bandage around my head, would that give me more credibility?”
“Sorry, I can’t put a Band-Aid on my emotions or my brain, my psychological — my mindset. I cannot put a Band-Aid on it. All I got is my words.”
Dunn has repeatedly spoken out about how he and his fellow Black officers are still grappling with their harrowing experience on January 6, when they endured racist attacks from the insurrectionists. Flags, signs and symbols of racist, White supremacist and extremist groups were displayed along with Trump 2020 banners and American flags at the riot. Black officers played a key role in defending lawmakers during the attack.
“More than six months later, January 6 still isn’t over for me,” Dunn told the House panel Tuesday. “I know so many other officers continue to hurt, both physically and emotionally,”
Dunn added that he has sought counseling “for the persistent emotional trauma of that day” and implored his colleagues to do the same if needed.
“I want to take this moment and speak to my fellow officers about the emotions they are continuing to experience from the events of January 6. There is absolutely nothing wrong with seeking professional counseling,” he said. “What we all went through that day was traumatic, and if you are hurting please take advantage of the counseling services that are available to us.”
The-CNN-Wire
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CNN’s Zachary Cohen and Marshall Cohen contributed to this report.
