The former DC Metropolitan Police officer who almost died at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, has a new memoir out, which contains conversation he had with politicians — which he secretly recorded — in the months that followed the Capitol riot.
On CBS Mornings this Monday, Michael Fanone recounts a meeting he had with GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham Lindsey Graham.
“I don’t know if he was trying to be funny or what – but he did kind of fly off the handle and say that he gave us guns, and that we should have shot all these protesters in the head.”
“I told him I appreciated his enthusiasm,” Fanone said. “But you know, there are very specific guidelines that dictate law enforcement’s use of force. And you know, while we are authorized to use deadly force in some very narrow set of circumstances, they would not have been practical in that type of an environment when there are so many people condensed in such a small space. There would have been individuals who would have been just caught in the crossfire and killed without justification.”
“But it also speaks to a greater misunderstanding of policing and police policies – you know, our politicians are here to facilitate constructive conversations about law enforcement with law enforcement and members of the community, and when you have a sitting U.S. senator who doesn’t even understand basic police policy, that’s a problem,” he continued.
Watch his interview below: