D.C. Officer Michael Fanone Did Not Pretend To Be A Capitol Rioter
The Claim
Officer Michael Fanone, who testified to Congress regarding January 6th, was actually pretending to be a rioter who stormed the Capitol Building with a Confederate flag.
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Emerging story
Several officers recently testified to Congress regarding their experiences on duty during the January 6th insurrection. A number of social media users have since claimed that one of the testifiers, Officer Michael Fanone, was actually pretending to participate in the riot. The evidence that these posts use to back up their claims is a series of images of a man carrying a Confederate flag through the Capitol building next to a series of images of Fanone.
These posts have gained significant attention on social media, gaining hundreds of interactions to date.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar’s investigation found that there is significant evidence that proves that Officer Fanone is not the person carrying the Confederate flag. The identity of the flag-carrying riot participant is already known. His name is Kevin Seefried, and he turned himself over to the authorities on January 14th, 2021, in Wilmington, Delaware due to participating in criminal activities on January 6th.
Body camera footage of Officer Fanone’s activity during the Capitol insurrection has been released. This footage shows that Fanone was not participating in the insurrection. Instead, he was attacked by rioters while attempting to defend the Capitol.
While Seefried and Fanone do resemble one another, it is entirely possible to distinguish the two based on the photos that some are using as evidence. For instance, Seefried has a significantly less pronounced nose bridge than Fanone. Conversely, Seefried’s cheekbones are more pronounced than Fanone’s.
