D.C. Cop Who Fought MAGA Mob: 'My Pleasure To Crush A White Nationalist Insurrection'

"I'm glad I was in a position to be able to help," Officer Daniel Hodges said. "We'll do it as many times as it takes."
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A Washington, D.C., police officer who crushed in a doorway by a mob of President Donald Trump supporters said he was happy to help stop the “white nationalist insurrection” at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

Viral video showed the moment that Officer Daniel Hodges was pinned in a doorway as a crowd of rioters attempted to force its way into the Capitol, following a call from Trump to “fight like hell.”

Hodges told NBC Washington his mask was pulled off and he was beaten with his own baton by a Trump supporter. Video of the incident shows Hodges bleeding from his mouth as he cries out in pain.

“They ripped my mask off,” Hodges told NBC earlier this week. “Stole my equipment. Beat me up. Sprayed me with everything.”

Police were eventually able to push the rioters out of the Capitol, but five people died due to injuries sustained during the siege. Among the casualties was Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who was pepper sprayed and bludgeoned with a fire extinguisher.

Despite being assaulted by Trump supporters, Hodges told NBC Washington he would do it all again.

“If it wasn’t my job, I would have done that for free,” Hodges said. “It was absolutely my pleasure to crush a white nationalist insurrection. I’m glad I was in a position to be able to help. We’ll do it as many times as it takes.”

Other officers who were guarding the Capitol, including D.C. Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone, have in recent days shared their own harrowing stories of fighting the mob. Fanone said he was hit with a stun gun several times and took beatings from Trump supporters who were carrying metal pipes. He said he could hear the mob screaming, “Kill him with his own gun.”

“At that point, it was just self-preservation,” Fanone told CNN on Thursday. “How do I survive this situation?”

The FBI has made several arrests in connection with the siege, and said hundreds of Trump rioters can soon expect a knock on their door.

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