Trumper Who Tasered Officer Michael Fanone on Jan 6th Told FBI ‘I’m Just Not That Smart’
The FBI transcript of their interrogation of a Trump supporter accused of tasing Officer Michael Fanone on January 6th during the assault on the Capitol shows the various excuses the suspect made for his participation and behavior.
Federal prosecutors have charged Daniel Rodriguez with eight counts, including assault on an officer. Rodriguez told FBI investigators that he got his information about politics from “InfoWars”, the web series hosted by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. Like many of the others in custody, Rodriguez claimed he came to Washington at the invitation of Donald Trump.
Investigators asked Rodriguez about the moment he chose to taser Officer Fanone, who was being physically carried out by the mob and was clearly struggling. According to the transcript, Rodriguez was specifically asked why he acted in such a way towards a man so clearly in physical pain already:
“Well, I just felt that, like — I didn’t know what they were going to do to him,” Rodriguez replied.
“And so, you tasered him to protect him?” the FBI asked.
“I mean, that sounds stupid. I don’t know if I tasered him to protect him, but maybe just to, like — so he wouldn’t struggle and get hurt, maybe. If they’re going to beat him up or injury him or, like — I don’t know if they’re going to — I don’t know what was going to happen to him,” he replied.
Jan. 6 defendant Daniel Rodriguez plans to argue at trial that he was acting under Donald Trump’s authority. That argument has really flown with judges so far. pic.twitter.com/MJ2AUqqzbG
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) October 16, 2021
Officer Fanone had testified before the Select Committee about his assault.
“I was grabbed, beaten, tased, all while being called a traitor to my country. … I heard chants of ‘kill him with his own gun.’ I can still hear those words in my head today,” Officer Michael Fanone testifies before the House select committee https://t.co/vOqgpOKGqc pic.twitter.com/6J1QwhGVuH
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) July 27, 2021
The agents pressed Rodriguez to be more truthful, but he simply kept stressing his lack of intelligence to explain his actions. “Think about your mom,” one agent said.
“No. I’m just not smart,” Rodriguez responds. “I’m not lying to you guys.”
The suspect’s views on his own intelligence were repeated later in the interview.
Danny's first explanation for how he mysteriously got $760 that he withdrew before going to insurrection was that it was a stimulus check. pic.twitter.com/6xdTjjiuZw
— emptywheel (@emptywheel) October 16, 2021
“I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know that we were doing the wrong thing. I thought we were doing the f*cking right thing. I thought we were going to be — I’m so stupid. I thought I was going to be awesome. I thought I was a good guy,” Rodriguez said. “Am I mental? Am I? Am I just that stupid?” Rodriguez asked. “Did we all really just — are we all that stupid that we thought we were going to go do this and save the country and it was all going to be fine after? We really thought that. That’s so stupid, huh?”
ALSO in this FBI interview with Jan 6 defendant Daniel Rodriguez, who here admits to tasing Officer Fanone during the insurrection: implying it was *God/his faith* that compelled him to travel to DC in the first place.
Just another example of religion’s role in the insurrection. https://t.co/21qiYGeB0v pic.twitter.com/72JxWagfuG
— Jack Jenkins (@jackmjenkins) October 16, 2021
Video of the attack was also used in Trump’s second impeachment trial.
DC Metropolitan police officer Mike Fanone was one of 3 officers who was dragged down the stairs during the Capitol siege. He was then tased. He described the riot as “a medieval battle scene. Some of the most brutal combat I’ve ever encountered.” https://t.co/OKAzzhvIne pic.twitter.com/L37f3IpHAJ
— ABC News (@ABC) February 10, 2021
You can read the full transcript here.