'Trump sent us': Capitol police officer recounts Jan. 6 rioters' clear message

Sgt. Aquilino Gonell of the United States Capitol Police testified during the opening Jan. 6 select committee hearing on Tuesday that "nobody else" but former President Donald Trump's supporters stormed the Capitol that day.

In response to a question from Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), Gonell, who was on the front lines, said the rioters made it clear they felt Trump had given the green light to breach the building and disrupt Congress' Electoral College certification. "All of them were telling us 'Trump sent us,'" he said.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.