President Donald Trump's sweeping pardons of 1500 accused January 6 rioters sent a clear message to his most die-hard supporters. During a visit to CNN on Wednesday, former D.C. police officer Michael Fanone sent one right back.
"This is what I would say to Stewart Rhodes: go f**k yourself," Fanone said live on air, shocking host Pamela Brown. "You're a liar."
The former cop was speaking directly to the recently pardoned founder of the Oath Keepers, a far-right militia whose presence was notable during the Jan. 6 riots. Rhodes was sentenced to 18 years in prison for his role in the riot. He walked free earlier this week following Trump's pardons.
Fanone has reason to be sore with Rhodes. He was tased and beaten unconscious during the Jan. 6 riots. He testified before the House Select Committee about his experience in 2021, noting that he suffered a traumatic brain injury and lives with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Fanone's testimony before lawmakers was sent up by Fox News host Sean Hannity shortly thereafter. Laura Ingraham accused Fanone of putting on a show to paint the riots as worse than they were.
"The facts are the facts," Fanone responded at the time. "They were supported by hundreds of hours of videotape, evidence, eyewitness testimony, they're indisputable."
Fanone is far from alone in thinking the J6 pardons crossed a line. Earlier this month, U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger worried about the troubling precedent that pardons would set.
“What message does that send? What message does that send to police officers across this nation, if someone doesn’t think that a conviction for an assault or worse against a police officer is something that should be upheld, given what we ask police officers to do every day?” Manger asked in an interview with the Washington Post.
Watch Fanone's heated response below:
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