Former J6 Officers Stump For Biden in Nevada

Former U.S. Capitol police officers Sgt. Aquilino Gonell and Officer Harry Dunn will campaign for President Joe Biden in Las Vegas today as part of a battleground state blitz to talk about the January 6th “insurrection” and the threat Donald Trump poses to “democracy,” according to the Biden-Harris campaign.

The reelection campaign has enlisted Sgt. Gonell, Dunn, and DC Metro Officer Danny Hodges to visit with elected officials, community leaders, and voters across swing-states in order to “save democracy” from “MAGA extremists.” Dunn and Gonell reportedly sustained injuries on January 6 and have since retired from the Capitol Police.

Yesterday, Dunn appeared with veteran actor Robert DeNiro during another campaign stop for Biden-Harris in front of the New York City courthouse where former President Trump’s “hush-money trial” entered closing arguments. Pictured next to Dunn is former Metropolitan Police Department Officer Michael Fanone, who was also reportedly injured while defending the Capitol and is now a CNN Contributor. Yesterday, Fanone testified on behalf of the prosecution referring to Trump as a an “authoritarian” and a person with a “violence fetish.”

“Donald Trump only cares about Donald Trump, which is why come November, Americans will reject his extremism once and for all and reelect the only candidate in the race committed to protecting our democracy and standing up for law enforcement: Joe Biden,” Dunn said in a statement.

Dunn, who mounted an unsuccessful Democratic bid for Congress, told CNN in an interview. “We were the victims, we lived through it…If I can tell that story a million times, I will. If I can do that, I’ll just be doing my part to save democracy.”

Since their career-ending injuries, the former officers have not only been tapped by the Biden-Harris campaign, but have been engaged in progressive politics.

Sgt. Gonell and Officer Fanone are featured members of the “People’s Council” for “Courage For America,” a progressive, dark money nonprofit with ties to democratic strategist Zac Petkanas, a former senior advisor to Hillary Clinton and prior Communications Director to Harry Reid.

According to Influence Watch:

Courage for America is a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group created to oppose the Republican house majority elected in 2022. The group supports abortion, LGBT interests, liberal immigration-expansion policies, and increased government spending. The group says its main goal is to “Make sure the MAGA agenda doesn’t get passed without strenuous opposition.

The group was started in 2022 and its main campaign “the War Room” is being run by Zac Petkanas, a Democratic strategist who previously worked for presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and former Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (D-NV).

Courage for America has announced media campaigns and events in targeted congressional districts to counter Republican policies and assist the Biden administration.

As per a report from CNN, in a fundraising email to Biden supporters last week, Gonell described sustaining career-ending injuries and being “trampled in a tunnel” – and noting he would continue fighting for America after being in uniform.

“That includes doing everything I can to make sure Donald Trump – the man who calls the January 6 insurrectionists who nearly took my life ‘patriots’ and literally salutes them, is never elected president again,” the email read.