“I never imagined what I experienced on January 6, 2021, or that I would be one of a few dozen officers standing in between former President Donald Trump’s authoritarian dreams and American democracy.”

“I defended the Capitol, with blood dripping from my mouth.”

John, those are a couple of snippets from Daniel Hodges’s new op-ed with The Hill, sharing his harrowing experience of being one of a few dozen officers who fought back against the insurrection on January 6.

He wrote about the injuries and trauma he and his colleagues sustained that day – and how it motivated him to speak out about his experience and to help hold those who incited the insurrection accountable for their actions.

CREW was proud to work with Daniel Hodges in our case to remove Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin, the founder of Cowboys for Trump, from office under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment – a decision that the Supreme Court just let stand.

Hodges also served as a witness in our Colorado lawsuit to remove Trump himself from the ballot under the same provision. And even though the Supreme Court ruled that states cannot remove presidential candidates from the ballot under the 14th Amendment, it did not exonerate Trump for his role in the insurrection, nor did it dismiss the ruling that he is an insurrectionist – findings that Daniel’s testimony helped lead to.

As Officer Hodges says, “I don’t have to be a constitutional lawyer to know this: If someone has already tried to subvert a free and fair election once, we should not let him try again.”

Hodges is still telling the story of what he saw on that day, and doing more than his part to protect our democracy. His story is one of many reasons to stay motivated and stay in the fight for accountability for anyone involved in the insurrection at the Capitol.

Thank you for your continued support. I really encourage you to read more of Daniel’s story below.

Noah Bookbinder
President
CREW

I defended the Capitol from Trump’s mob. I know he’s an insurrectionist.

BY DANIEL HODGES, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR

When I received my acceptance letter almost a decade ago to the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, D.C., my imagination raced with the intense, life-or-death scenarios I would be confronted with on a regular basis in order to protect and serve the residents of our nation’s capital.

But even while contemplating such scenarios, I never imagined what I experienced on Jan. 6, 2021, or that I would be one of a few dozen officers standing in between former President Donald Trump’s authoritarian dreams and American democracy. The attack on the Capitol, perpetuated by a mob commanded by Trump, was and still is an existential threat to both my city and the country at large.

Click here to continue reading.