MSNBC host grows emotional, draws tissue on Jan. 6 riot anniversary

MSNBC host Jonathan Capehart was seen trying to control his emotions during a segment that marked the third anniversary of the Capitol riots of Jan. 6, 2021. As he interviewed former Capitol Police officer Michael Fanone, who authored a book on the Capitol siege, Capehart struggled to hold back tears, eventually reaching for a tissue.

"I'm going to try to get through this – um, thank you for what you did three years ago today," a choked-up Capehart told Fanone, asking him to share his thoughts on the anniversary of the upsetting event. The officer who was amongst respondents that day retired after the riot, after sharing a traumatic testimony with the now defunct House Select Committee on Jan. 6.

During the riots, Fanone suffered from being both tased and beaten, coupled with enduring a severe head injury and a heart attack. He has consequently become notable for his commendable endurance.

The former police officer, known for his testimony on the incidents, continues to speak out against the recurrence of such events. Last year, he thanked President Biden for using his influence to deliver powerful speeches expressing concern over the assault on the Capitol and subsequent efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

On the eve of the riot's anniversary, Biden was vocal about the developing threat to US democracy while addressing the audience near Valley Forge, a critical Revolutionary War site.

As further legal action continues against the riot's participants, the DC Court of Appeals has stated that individuals who were illegally present at the Capitol during that day may face conviction, regardless of whether they were actively involved in the chaos. Awaiting prosecution, over 1,200 offenders have been charged, of which 718 have confessed guilty, and nearly 140 were proven guilty for their part in the riots.

Verdicts for former President Donald Trump's involvement in the Jan. 6 attack are pending. In the meanwhile, the US Supreme Court has allowed Trump to remain on the primary ballot list in Colorado, even as he attacks his disqualification. Meanwhile, the leading GOP contender's attorneys have launched a formal appeal against Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows' decision to exclude him from the state's March 5 primary poll.