12 ½ YEARS: Man who tased Capitol Police Officer Fanone on Jan 6th sentenced
One of the longest jail sentences in connection with the Jan 6th Capitol riot was handed down on Wednesday to the man who used a stun gun in his attack against Officer Michael Fanone.
A defiant Daniel “D.J.” Rodriguez yelled out “Trump won!” at his sentencing soon after hearing he’d be spending the next twelve and a half years of his life in prison.
Rodriguez initially pleaded guilty in February to felony conspiracy, obstruction of an official proceeding, tampering with documents or proceedings, and inflicting bodily injury on officers using a deadly or dangerous weapon.
The California MAGA fanatic traveled to D.C. with fellow Trump supporters who belonged to a Telegram group called the “PATRIOTS 45 MAGA Gang.”
Imagine that brain trust for a second.
“There will be blood,” Rodriguez wrote in the “MAGA Gang” chat on the night of January 5th. “Welcome to the revolution.”
After Trump’s rally at the Ellipsis on January 6th, D.J. joined the other terrorists marching to the Capitol and ended up in its lower west tunnel, where some of the worst violence of the day played out.
It was there that Rodriguez attacked Metropolitan Officer Michael Fanone with a stun gun, later bragging about his actions in the Telegram chat.
“Omg I did so much f—ing s— [right now] and got away,” Rodriguez wrote to fellow members of the Patriots 45 MAGA Gang. “Tazzed the f— out of the blue.”
Rodriguez struck a far different tone at his sentencing, where he acknowledged his actions against Fanone, but didn’t apologize at any point during his 20-minute ramble.
“Life has always seemed unfair to me,” Rodriguez said, referring to himself as “an American supremacist.”
Sure, I can make up words for you too, D.J. But I think I’ll let Michael Fanone do all the talking here.
Fanone was forced to retire as a result of his injuries and has used the time since the Capitol riot to make sure every last rioter reaches the Finding Out part.
Ahead of Rodriguez’s sentencing, Fanone called Rodriguez’s life story “pathetic” and said he himself had lost his career, friends, and faith in the criminal justice system because of what he went through that day.
“I don’t give a shit about Daniel Rodriguez. He ceased to exist to me as a person a long time ago,” Fanone said.
“Any compassion or empathy I felt toward those who laid siege to our Capitol, whose actions I felt were at least in part influenced by their leader Donald Trump and his lies, has been eroded — eroded by the attacks directed at me and my family by supporters of Donald Trump and the right- wing media.”
Fanone’s take was no different after the sentence, which was five years longer than the other two rioters charged in the Jan 6th attack.
“These are Americans that engaged in seditious activity,” Fanone said.
“I believe that they were traitors, and they should be sentenced accordingly. We need to stop treating these people as anything other than enemy combatants of our democracy.”
Twitter was fully on Team Fanone after the finding out news broke.
Good news but he WAS INVITED THERE. Time to go after the "party planners"
— Brown Eyed Susan🟧🟦 (@smc429) June 21, 2023
Jan. 6 rioter who used taser on officer sentenced to more than 12 years in prison.
Daniel Rodriguez used a taser on officer Michael Fanone during the attack. Fanone has spoken out about the insurrection and the PTSD and “emotional trauma” he suffered afterward. He experienced a…
— Ryan Shead (@RyanShead) June 21, 2023
⚖️🚨 🚨⚖️#Consequences#Jan6thInsurrection
DANIEL RODRIGUEZ ⤵️, the man who attacked then-Washington, DC, police officer Michael Fanone with a stun gun, was SENTENCED to 12.5 years in prison plus $96,000 for Fanone's medical expenses. pic.twitter.com/hi7kxdwz4L
— Walter Klingler (@WalterKlingler) June 21, 2023
🚨BREAKING-Scumbag Daniel Rodriguez, 40, who gave Officier Michael Fanone a heart attack/stroke in the name of his “dad”, Trump, got 12.5 yrs in prison, 3 yrs probation & $96K fee.
*He bragged “Tazzzzed the f**k out of the blue & #MAGACult call him “hero”. #Jan6thInsurrection pic.twitter.com/wfQ8h4QSr1— 🪴Laurie (@Laurieluvsmolly) June 21, 2023
*THIS IS AN OPINION COLUMN THAT SOLELY REPRESENTS THE OPINIONS OF TARA DUBLIN. HOORAY FOR THE FREE PRESS!
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