Former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, who is serving a 22-year sentence for “seditious conspiracy” in connection to the January 6 protests, confronted former Capitol Police officers Michael Fanone and Harry Dunn on Saturday at a Washington, D.C., hotel.
The encounter turned into a tense exchange, with both sides trading accusations.
Tarrio, who was convicted in 2023 despite not entering the U.S. Capitol on January 6, has been a central figure in ongoing debates about the fairness of prosecutions related to the protests.
He was sentenced by Judge Timothy Kelly, who sided with Department of Justice prosecutors in classifying Tarrio’s actions as “terrorism.”
Requests to move the trial outside of Washington, D.C., where more than 90 percent of residents vote Democrat, were denied.
One of the witnesses against Tarrio and other defendants was Fanone, who testified before the January 6 Committee.
Since then, Fanone has made frequent appearances on MSNBC and CNN, where he has referred to Trump and his supporters as “traitors.”
Dunn, another former Capitol Police officer, also served as a witness and has been a vocal critic of Trump’s role in the protests.
Tarrio, alongside pro-Trump attorney Ivan Raiklin, approached Fanone and Dunn in an effort to engage them in a discussion about their public statements regarding January 6.
Raiklin asked if they would be open to having lunch to discuss the matter, but both men declined and proceeded toward an elevator.
“You guys are a**holes, so please just back off,” an unidentified woman said as Fanone and Dunn continued walking. Tarrio then responded, referencing Fanone’s attendance at his sentencing.
“You know who’s an a**hole? Somebody that sits in my sentencing and laughs while I got sentenced to 22 years. That’s an a**hole.”
Tarrio continued addressing Fanone, saying, “You were brave on Twitter, and you thought you were brave at my sentencing when you laughed when I got 22 years. And now you don’t wanna look my way and pretend I’m not here, right?”
Fanone briefly turned around before continuing toward the elevator. The exchange escalated further when Fanone called Tarrio a “traitor to this country.”
Tarrio fired back, saying, “You f**king coward. You were a coward that day, you were a coward after, and you’re another coward,” including Dunn in his remarks.
The shouting continued as hotel staff intervened, calling security to remove Tarrio. Fanone’s entourage then pulled him into the elevator as he continued shouting expletives.
Following the altercation, Raiklin weighed in, stating, “If that’s how they act when it’s a calm environment, imagine how they acted on January 6. They were the ones that were the trigger pullers. They were the ones that incited, instigated. These are unstable men. And that’s why January 6 played out the way it did, because they’re not able to contain themselves and control their emotions.”
Fanone has continued making strong statements in media appearances following Trump’s election victory.
Speaking to CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Fanone claimed he has been “betrayed” by Trump supporters and law enforcement.
“Thanks America,” Fanone told Cooper. When asked if he felt betrayed, he responded, “I have been betrayed by my country. Rest assured I have been betrayed by my country and I have been betrayed by those that supported Donald Trump. Whether you voted for him because he promised these pardons or for some other reason, you knew that this was coming and here we are.”
In a post-election interview with the Washington Post, Fanone hinted at plans to isolate himself, stating, “Better f**king arm yourselves.”
The Post’s Kara Voght reported that Fanone went further, suggesting he would rather die in a “shootout” than be arrested if investigated by a future Trump administration’s Department of Justice.
Tarrio’s conviction and sentencing remain controversial, with critics pointing to his absence from the Capitol as evidence that the prosecution’s case was politically motivated.
Meanwhile, the confrontations and public statements from figures like Fanone and Dunn continue to fuel debate over how January 6 has been handled by law enforcement and the courts.
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