A former U.S. Capitol Police officer who suffered serious injuries in the Jan. 6 insurrection reflected on his trauma and implored Donald Trump not to pardon his attackers in a New York Times op-ed marking four years since the violence.
Former Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, who left the police force in 2022 due to the mental and physical damage he sustained on Jan. 6, 2021, recalled, “I thought I was going to die and never make it home to see my wife and young son” in the article published Sunday, the eve of the anniversary.
“Over the last four years, it’s been devastating to me to hear Donald Trump repeat his promise to pardon insurrectionists on the first day he’s back in office,” he wrote, noting that Trump has referred to those convicted as “hostages” and “peaceful protesters.”
“But all of us who were there and anyone who watched on TV know that those who stormed the Capitol were not peaceful protesters,” Gonnell said. “Pardoning them would be an outrageous mistake, one that could mean about 800 convicted criminals will be back on the street.”
Gonnell also said pardons could endanger him, “as I’ve continued to testify in court and I’ve given victim statements in cases against dozens of the rioters who assaulted me and my fellow officers.”
Gonell and other ex-law enforcement officers — such as Harry Dunn and Michael Fanone — who have spoken out about the violence they survived have faced vitriol and hate from election deniers and Trump supporters as the president-elect and his allies whitewash the events of Jan. 6.
More than 1,500 people were criminally charged in connection to the riot at the Capitol in which more than 140 police officers were assaulted. It is estimated that the attack caused millions of dollars in damage.
A recent HuffPost analysis found that the majority of people who are still incarcerated over Jan. 6 are those who attacked police, possessed weapons or explosives, or committed other violent felonies.
“Releasing those who assaulted us from blame would be a desecration of justice,” Gonell wrote. “If Mr. Trump wants to heal our divided nation, he’ll let their convictions stand.”
He slammed the “ongoing whitewashing” and “collective amnesia of right-wing politicians who aren’t willing to hold Mr. Trump accountable.”
“Mr. Trump is returning to the presidency at 78, while I had to leave the career I’d worked for my whole life at 42 as a result of injuries suffered while doing my job,” Gonnell added.
“I sometimes wonder why I risked my life to defend our elected officials from a mob inspired by Mr. Trump, only to see him return to power stronger than ever. It’s hard to witness a rich white man get rewarded for treachery while I’m punished for fulfilling my duty.”
Congress meets on Monday to certify Trump’s election victory four years after a mob of his supporters laid siege to the Capitol in an attempt to halt that process for President Joe Biden’s 2020 win.
Read Gonell’s full article in The New York Times.
