A former Capitol police officer who was brutally beaten by January 6 rioters said Josh Hawley 'ran like a coward' when the mob broke in

A former DC police officer who was brutally beaten by rioters during the Capitol riot called the senator a "coward" and a "bitch" for fleeing from the mob he helped rile up.

In response to a video clip shown by the January 6 panel during its eighth public hearing on the riot, Michael Fanone made the comments on Thursday.

As rioters poured into the capitol building, Hawley ran away.

In contrast to the footage seen on Thursday, the image of Hawley raising his fist as he entered the Capitol hours earlier stands out.

Fanone thought he ran like a fool.

He said that like many people in Trump world, he performs when he is in front of a camera.

A lot of Americans respond positively to such behavior.

The former cop had some choice words for the man.

To give you the first thoughts that came to my mind, Josh Hawley is a bitch." Fanone said that the man ran like a bitch.

The lawmaker's actions immediately after the fist pump show the true character or lack of it.

Fanone said there was an "eruption of laughter" after the video of Hawley fleeing was shown.

I see the amusement of it, and I'm not going to fault people for finding it funny, but that pisses me off. Fanone said that the man was a clown.

Representatives for Hawley didn't reply to a request from Insider.