By Brett Samuels - 05/28/24

A group of police officers who were injured during the violence at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, will travel to battleground states to stump for President Biden’s reelection, his campaign announced Monday.

Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, Officer Harry Dunn and Officer Daniel “Danny” Hodges will make stops in Nevada, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan and New Hampshire to emphasize former President Trump’s conduct after the 2020 election and warn of the dangers Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee, poses to democracy.

The officers are expected to meet with local officials, law enforcement and community members in each state, the Biden campaign said.

Gonell and Dunn have since retired from the Capitol Police. Hodges is an officer with the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington.

“Donald Trump and his unhinged quest for power and retribution pose an existential threat to our democracy,” said Dunn, who ran for Congress but finished second in the Democratic primary in Maryland’s 3rd Congressional District, in a statement.

“He continues to embrace political violence, going as far as saying there will be a ‘bloodbath’ if he loses again and promising to be a dictator on ‘day one’ and pardon January 6 rioters,” Dunn added. “Donald Trump only cares about Donald Trump, which is why come November, Americans will reject his extremism once and for all and reelect the only candidate in the race committed to protecting our democracy and standing up for law enforcement: Joe Biden.”

The three officers who will campaign for Biden are among the dozens of law enforcement members who were injured during the Jan. 6 insurrection, when pro-Trump rioters stormed the Capitol to try to stop the certification of Biden’s 2020 victory.

Biden has made Trump’s conduct around Jan. 6 and the violence at the Capitol that day central to his reelection bid as he seeks to warn voters the former president poses an urgent threat to democracy.

The incumbent and his campaign have also made the case that Trump’s disregard for officers on Jan. 6 undermines his stated support for law enforcement.