The Find Out Podcast: "What Really Happened On January 6th"
Episode Date: November 20, 2025
Guest: Harry Dunn, former Capitol Police Officer

Episode Overview

This episode features an unfiltered, deeply candid conversation with Harry Dunn, former U.S. Capitol Police officer, who was on-duty during the January 6th insurrection. Dunn shares his first-person perspective from that day, debunks right-wing myths, details the physical and psychological aftermath for law enforcement, and discusses the ongoing struggle for justice and democracy in the Trump era. The hosts use humor and frankness to tackle the gravity of recent U.S. history, aiming to separate fact from right-wing fiction—and discuss how to fight for and defend democracy moving forward.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Setting the Scene: Who Is Harry Dunn?

• Former Capitol Police Officer (16 years), now politically active
• Early career in Canadian Football League ("Life comes at you fast" [01:26])
• Emphasizes that Capitol Police are highly trained—far from "just security guards" ([03:00])
• Participated in “close to a thousand protests,” ranging from small assemblies to major marches ([04:50])

2. Lead-Up to January 6th: Security and Threats

• "We've been grading life on a progressive curve since 2016 and then 2020." (Host 2, [00:53])
• Capitol Police were used to demonstrations, not full-fledged attacks
• Advance intelligence reports about potential violence were generally dismissed as "unbelievable" ([09:01]). The assumption was "basic human decency" would prevent disaster
• "I chalk it up to incompetence more so than a...security failure, clearly. But I don't believe it was a setup." (Harry, [10:19])

3. The Attack Unfolds: Inside the Capitol

• Dunn’s Position: Overwatch with AR rifle, outside, to prevent rioters from taking weapons ([13:21])
• "Allowing somebody in and not being able to stop them from getting in are two different things." (Harry, [14:25])
• Decision to fall back was about regrouping and finding defensible positions, not “giving up” ([15:09])
• Metropolitan Police’s Arrival: Their reinforcements were crucial, despite not knowing the Capitol’s layout ([15:19])

4. Confronting the Rioters

• Describes standoffs with rioters in vulnerable areas; officers physically overwhelmed, exposed to bear mace, and potential armed threats ([17:11]–[19:26])
• "Every single person in that building was a threat, period." (Harry, [22:29])
• Clarifies that peaceful entry is a myth—no one went through proper screening, and many forced entry violently ([14:25], [22:47])
• "They were not friendly...I got complaints filed against me because I was telling people to shut the fuck up and get the fuck out..." (Harry, [22:07])

5. Debunking MAGA and Right-Wing Myths

• Directly counters right-wing claims (FBI “op”, Antifa, “allowed in by police”) ([10:48]–[12:37])
• "Don’t be out there just pushing this propaganda because it fits your fucking narrative. Like, give me a break." (Harry, [10:57])
• MAGA’s supposed allegiance to 'law and order' is pure hypocrisy in the face of their treatment of police after January 6 ([12:05])

6. The Human Impact on Officers

• Stress, physical danger, and moral betrayal: officers caught between rioters and political gaslighting

• Dunn credits many for "saving democracy," but says "all we were trying to do was make it home to our families." ([31:35])

• Multiple officer suicides in the aftermath—moral injury and PTSD ([36:07])

  “People tell you that it didn’t exist or you were responsible for it…people carry a lot of heavy burdens about that, and it's not fair.” (Harry, [36:07])

• "Blue Lives Matter" symbols turned against police: “They saw Blue Lives Matter flags being used to beat their sisters and brothers.” (Host 3, [39:23])

7. On Political Accountability, Pardons, and Justice

• Officers and insurrectionists have had divergent outcomes—perpetrators pardoned, officers’ lives upended ([34:34], [35:37])
• Pardons extend to those making further threats and even violence against law enforcement ([35:00])
• Deep frustration with lack of accountability: "I feel betrayed by this country." (Harry, [58:07])

8. The Myth of Martyrdom: Ashley Babbitt

• Shooters cleared after multiple investigations; Babbitt breached five or six checkpoints before being shot ([24:01])
• “She was a traitor...The military honors that she was given...bestow a shame on the entire veterans community.” (Host 3, [24:57])

9. Memory, Narrative, and the Info War

• Mainstream media and right-wing media ecosystem both blamed for the rewriting and downplaying of January 6 ([58:23])
• Need for persistent storytelling to counter lies and apathy ([60:28])
• “I think if you took a, you know, that, that clip that the Jan6 committee released of all of the violent insurrection and you showed the average American, I think they would be horrified by that. But I don't think many of them have seen it since that day.” (Host 1, [59:43])

10. Moving Forward: What Does Justice Look Like?

• Dunn’s sense of justice has shifted—impeachment, courts, elections all failed; now focused on activism, education, and Congressional power as bulwark ([46:41]–[51:20])
• “Accountability and justice now looks like making it better...[It] looks like fighting, continuing to fight for a better country and not letting one man getting off the hook define no accountability and no justice ever again.” (Harry, [51:19])

11. Personal Mission, Hope, and Raising the Next Generation

• Dunn now runs Democracy Defenders PAC, focused on electing pro-democracy candidates ([51:53])
• He emphasizes setting an example to his daughter: “Standing up for what is right is the number one thing to do no matter what. Even when it's hard.” ([55:19])
• January 6th is not about left vs. right, but the fundamental line of whether violent, anti-democratic acts are acceptable ([56:00])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "If the President of the United States tells you to do something, fuck it, you're going to do it." (Harry, [32:45])
• "We were just trying to make it home to our families. That was it." (Harry, [31:35])
• "Blue Lives Matter flags being used to beat their sisters and brothers." (Host 3, [39:23])
• "I believe standing up for what is right is the number one thing to do no matter what. Even when it's hard." (Harry, [55:19])
• "The corruption is just off the charts." (Host 1, [64:51])
• “I feel betrayed by this country. This country betrayed me, obviously with a lot of other people.” (Harry, [58:07])
• “Why the fuck did they let him back in the White House?” (Harry, [58:02])

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |:----------|:--------| | [00:16] | Introduction & Harry’s Background (Capitol Police, CFL) | | [02:37] | January 6 Set-up & Capitol Police Responsibilities | | [07:35] | Pre-J6 Intelligence Failures & Ignored Warnings | | [13:21] | Harry’s Position and Actions During the Attack | | [14:25] | Mythbusting: “Police Let Us In” & Realities of Overwhelm | | [17:11] | Inside the Capitol: Violence, Munitions, Chaos | | [22:07] | Right-Wing Media Attacks & Harry’s Response | | [24:01] | The Ashley Babbitt Narrative—Facts vs. Myths | | [31:35] | Human Motivation: Survival over Abstract Ideas | | [36:07] | Officer Deaths, Suicides, and Moral Injury | | [39:23] | Blue Lives Matter Flags Used as Weapons | | [46:41] | Political Betrayal & Failure of GOP Accountability | | [51:19] | What Does Justice Mean Now? | | [51:53] | Democracy Defenders PAC & How to Get Involved | | [55:19] | Teaching His Daughter: Setting an Example | | [58:02] | "Why did we lose?" - Harry’s Challenge to Listeners | | [60:28] | Apathy & The Info War: Why This Still Matters | | [64:51] | Impeachment as Oversight: The Only Legislative Leverage |

Final Thoughts

This episode underscores that January 6th was neither spontaneous nor benign, but a violent, deliberate attack on democracy—one with lasting moral, psychological, and political consequences. Harry Dunn’s testimony is a pointed rebuke to revisionist history and political cowardice, emphasizing the importance of sustained activism, truth-telling, and setting a moral example.

Host’s Mission: Amplify truth, fight apathy, and empower listeners to get involved—supporting the real defenders of democracy, like Harry Dunn.

Learn more & get involved:

• Harry Dunn’s Democracy Defenders PAC
• Substack: Standing Our Ground
• Podcast: Pours and Perspectives
• Book: Standing My Ground: A Capitol Police Officer’s Fight for Accountability and Good Trouble after January 6th
• Socials: [Harry Dunn]

"Standing up for what is right is the number one thing to do no matter what. Even when it's hard."
— Harry Dunn ([55:19])