Former Capitol Police Sergeant Aquilino Gonnell slammed Republican lawmakers for welcoming former President Trump to a closed-door meeting earlier this week, even as Trump boasted about his “great relationship” with House and Senate Republicans.
Gonnell, who defended the Capitol during the January 6, 2021, riot, said in an interview with MSNBC’s Jason Johnson: Called their hugs Trump’s comments are “very disappointing”
“All the sacrifices we made on January 6th to keep those same lawmakers who yesterday applauded and saluted our former president as if they’d accomplished something great in our Capitol,” Johnson said Friday. “As they fled for their lives, they seemed to forget how scared they were.”
“It’s astonishing that instead of responding that way to police officers, they have chosen to respond that way to a former president,” he continued, “the same man who put their lives and ours at risk.”
Gonnell later added: “Instead of hugging him, [Trump] Instead of holding him accountable and placing blame, they chose him as a hero.”
The comments came after Trump’s first visit to the Capitol since the riots and his recent conviction in the Manhattan hush-money case. After meeting separately with Republican members of the House and Senate, Trump said he agreed with lawmakers on “almost everything.”
Trump briefly told reporters after the Senate visit that the meeting had been “great” and that Republicans had “great unity” and “common sense,” adding that his meeting with the House of Representatives had shown similar unity.
“We’re all about one thing: making our country great,” the Republican nominee said.
President Trump also appears to have repaired his relationship with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who is stepping down from his leadership role at the end of his term. The relationship between the two has been strained since 2020, and the feud reached a nadir in 2022.
Gonnel said in an interview Friday that Republican elected officials have lost trust in protecting the Constitution and democracy, adding that Thursday’s meeting shows Republicans have “only one loyalty to one person, and that’s Mr. Trump.”
The former police officer also told Johnson he lost his job because of injuries he sustained during the storming of the Capitol, adding that he no longer had any trust in Republican officeholders.
“While I was still recovering, I was conflicted in my mind: What if there’s another January 6th? Will my Republican elected officials support me … or will they help me close down the store? Or will I just have to watch with the threat in front of me and them behind me?” Gonnell said.
