Jan. 6 police hero becomes go-to witness for Democrats in Congress

Daniel Hodges thinks of himself arsenic an introvert — he's soft-spoken and says he's averse to the spotlight. At night, he's a section constabulary serviceman successful Washington, D.C. But during his off-duty hours this year, Hodges has go a unsocial and precise nationalist advocator connected Capitol Hill.

He told CBS News he's trying to beryllium a firewall to artifact the whitewashing of the past of the Jan. 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol siege.

"The lone happening that volition halt maine is if radical halt lying astir Jan. 6 and conscionable admit what the time was and what truly transpired," Hodges said.  

He was among the much than 140 constabulary officers injured portion trying to halt the U.S. Capitol insurrection.

With Republicans present successful power of the White House and Congress and immoderate successful the enactment downplaying the severity of the Capitol siege, determination are constricted platforms for victims of the onslaught to speech astir its interaction connected their lives.

Hodges has go a go-to witnesser for Democrats successful legislature hearings astir constabulary safety.  

The ngo generates immoderate accent and struggle for Hodges. At an October subcommittee proceeding successful the Senate, Hodges watched arsenic 3 of his chap witnesses raised their hands, erstwhile asked if they supported President Trump's pardons of the Jan. 6 attackers, including those who had beaten Hodges. One of the witnesses who raised his manus was a erstwhile homeland information caput during President Trump's archetypal administration.

As the number successful the House and the Senate, Democrats are permitted to telephone 1 witnesser astatine astir hearings, to service arsenic a "minority party" witnesser who provides a counterpoint to the witnesses called by the majority. 

Twice this autumn, Democrats person called connected Hodges.  

"The powerfulness of Dan Hodges's communicative comes from the self-control helium displays," said Sen. Peter Welch, a Vermont Democrat who is the ranking Democrat of a Senate judiciary subcommittee that called Hodges to attest successful October. Welch said Hodges, "erased immoderate of the morganatic choler helium whitethorn person had astir Jan. 6,  to conscionable archer america what happened during the hearing."

Democrats reason Hodges' grounds and beingness astatine legislature hearings underscores the hypocrisy of Trump supporters who are making nationalist statements successful enactment of tougher laws oregon policies to support constabulary astatine the aforesaid clip they're downplaying the attacks connected instrumentality enforcement officers connected Jan. 6.

Welch noted that Republicans declined to inquire Hodges immoderate questions oregon talk to him successful the proceeding country aft the testimony.

"You person to bash an immense magnitude of intelligence and affectional jujitsu to unreal you didn't perceive what Hodges said oregon admit the world of what helium experienced," Welch said.

At a Dec. 3 proceeding convened by the House Homeland Security Committee titled "When Badges Become Targets: How Anti-Law Enforcement Rhetoric Fuels Violence Against Officers," Hodges testified that Mr. Trump's wide pardon of much than 1,500 Capitol riot defendants emboldens and encourages further unit against police.

"The property merchandise announcing this proceeding made it dependable similar definite participants were going to walk a fewer hours scratching their heads and pretending to not recognize wherefore threats against instrumentality enforcement person risen truthful sharply this year, and I cannot abide specified a farce," Hodges said successful his opening statement.

Rep. Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat who called Hodges arsenic a witnesser for the hearing, said helium did truthful to combat "pervasive misinformation."

Thompson told CBS News, "Everybody saw Jan. 6 with their ain eyes. But Trump has convinced a  ample percent of the colonisation that those were not insurrectionists."

At an October proceeding successful the Senate titled "Politically Violent Attacks: A Threat to Our Constitutional Order," Hodges was the sole witnesser called by Democrats.   

"I americium intimately acquainted with governmental violence, arsenic erstwhile I fought to support the United States Capitol and galore of your precise lives, I was beaten, bloodied, and crushed, with my oculus gouged and skull smashed with my ain baton," Hodges testified.

He criticized Republicans connected the sheet for not acknowledging the Capitol riot, telling them,  "My colleagues were nether onslaught by a mob."  

Hodges said Republican members of the panels did not inquire him questions during the nationalist hearings of the committees, nor did they convey him aft the proceedings.      Spokespeople for the Republican chairmen of the panels astatine which Hodges has testified this twelvemonth did not respond to CBS News requests for remark astir Hodges's testimony. 

At a House proceeding this period successful which Hodges appeared arsenic a witness, the Republican seat of the committee opened the proceedings with broader statements astir the hazard of "inflammatory rhetoric" endangering the lives of instrumentality enforcement and risking homeland security, including caller rhetoric criticizing national migration agents.   

Hodges spoke with CBS News arsenic a backstage citizen, not arsenic a typical of the Metropolitan Police Department successful Washington, D.C.

He had testified antecedently earlier a nationalist audience, successful 2021 astatine a nationalist proceeding of the House Jan. 6 prime committee, which investigated the causes and interaction of the riot.

Mr. Trump's triumph successful 2024 and his first-day pardons of the riot defendants person triggered criticisms of the medication that it is ignoring – oregon rewriting – the past of the siege.

In issuing the clemency of Capitol riot defendants, the White House said the President's decision  "ends a sedate nationalist injustice that has been perpetrated upon the American radical implicit the past 4 years and begins a process of nationalist reconciliation."

Hodges acknowledges helium besides has received threats and menacing amid his nationalist statements.

Former Capitol Police serviceman Harry Dunn, who has attended immoderate legislature hearings to enactment Hodges, told CBS News, "Danny has been unwavering and cleared each obstacle he's faced, portion continuing to serve."

Dunn, who besides testified and appeared astatine hearings of the House Jan. 6 prime committee successful 2021-22, said, "Danny's and my ngo has been the same. We're seeking accountability and justness against those who were liable for the worst days of our lives."

Hodges told CBS News it volition beryllium intolerable to person each Americans astir the information of the interaction of Jan. 6 connected the constabulary victims. When asked if he's optimistic that the deniers of the unit of the siege volition alteration their minds, Hodges paused earlier answering. 

"There are inactive radical retired determination who deliberation the satellite landing was fake and that the Holocaust wasn't real," helium said. "So you are not going to get 100%."