January 6 officer Michael Fanone warns ‘democracy is still in danger’

Nearly two years after American democracy was nearly derailed by the January 6 insurrection, a survivor of the attack gathered with Democratic lawmakers outside the US Capitol to warn that the Republican party's paralysis of Congress is a sign that political violence is as much a threat as ever.

"The events of that day felt like a wake-up call for me - and many others - that political violence is real. The worst part is that our elected leaders allow this to happen. And yet, this week people who encouraged and even attended the insurrection are now taking their places as leaders in the new House majority," said Michael Fanone, a former Washington DC police officer who sustained grievous injuries while battling supporters of Donald Trump.

As the second anniversary of the unprecedented attack neared, the Capitol was again engulfed in chaos, thanks to a revolt by rightwing lawmakers who have promoted Trump's lies that the 2020 election was stolen. Their target this time was Kevin McCarthy, the party's leader in the House of Representatives, who was hoping to be elected as speaker when the chamber's new Republican majority took their seats last Tuesday.

But the GOP's margin of control is thin enough that the objectors have managed to stop him from winning the post, leading to multiple rounds of voting for the first time since 1923. The deadlock has rendered Congress's lower chamber dysfunctional, with lawmakers unable to even be formally sworn in.

Democrats have meanwhile steadfastly supported their leader in the chamber, Hakeem Jeffries, and shown no interest in helping Republicans resolve their differences, instead pointing to the spectacle as evidence the GOP is in the grips of its most radical members.

The legislative standoff may well be ongoing on Friday when Joe Biden will mark January 6 with a White House ceremony for 12 police officers and election workers who fought off the mob and resisted pressure from Republican officials to stop counting the votes after the 2020 election.

The group includes Rusty Bowers, former Republican speaker of Arizona's lower house who Trump personally pressured to disrupt Biden's election victory in the state, and Brian Sicknick, a Capitol police officer who died during the insurrection, as well as Fanone.

Even if they manage to settle their spat in the House, the day will be an awkward one for Republicans. GOP candidates for offices nationwide in the November midterms promoted Trump's baseless fraud claim, though many of its loudest proclaimers lost their races. It was an outcome cheered by democracy advocates, but it wasn't enough to put Fanone's fears to rest.

He has become an outspoken critic of the Republicans since the insurrection, including McCarthy, who he once described as a "weasel".

"It couldn't happen to a nicer guy," Fanone said of the Californian's latest troubles. "That being said, it's still the legislative body of our government. And as an American, watching this level of dysfunction, is embarrassing."