Michael Fanone: Trump's slush fund for Jan 6 terrorists confirms GOP is party of political violence

Added: 2026-05-25

[00:00:00]Welcome back to the Dino Dollar Show.

[00:00:01]Joining us now, Michael Fenone. Served over 20 years as law enforcement. S was working as an officer in the Metropolitan Police Department in DC on January 6 where he was severely injured protecting our capital, independent, protecting our republic. Now he's been an outspoken defender of democracy.

[00:00:17]Check out his stuff on Substack. It's great stuff. We'll talk about it in a second what he's been writing. Michael, thanks so much for being on. I really appreciate I appreciate you, my friend, for fighting the fire all the time, >> too. And I appreciate you. you know, any opportunity to talk about this stuff.

[00:00:31]Um, so thank you.

[00:00:32]>> Sure. So, let's talk about this. What was your reaction when you first heard the D because there's rumors, but then it gets announced. It's real. $1.8 billion dollars of our tax dollars to primarily pay the January 6 terrorists who attacked our capital. And you were there and they attacked you. So, you're the perfect person to talk about. How what's your reaction to this? I mean, I I like so many other things with this administration, I'm outraged, but not surprised. I mean, you I wasn't surprised when Donald Trump pardoned the violent insurrectionists who attacked the capital, who attacked me, attacked my colleagues, and that really to me was like the that was the nail in the coffin for accountability. I mean, that's final. Um, you know, for the viewers at home, uh, who, you know, might think that there's some type something that could be done in the future, there's nothing that could be done. those those people's criminal culpability has been completely wiped clean. The slate has been wiped clean. Um but this was like rubbing salt in the wound. uh you know of of the countless police officers who served at the capital um many of whom had left the profession of law enforcement alto together because of the way this nation handled the aftermath of of January 6th. The politicization of of January 6th. Uh the demonization of the officers who you know responded to the capital that day and did their jobs. Um, and you know, the the few that I've heard from over the past uh, you know, 12 hours, it's just rubbing salt in that wound.

[00:02:11]>> And and I was going to ask you if you had spoke to some of your your former colleagues because I'm intrigued that this this sense of outrage and we talked about right before we started, is that the same feeling they have? I mean, what can you share?

[00:02:24]Yeah, I mean it's outrage every step of the way I think is has been outrage.

[00:02:28]Whether it was the the presidential pardons, whether it was Donald Trump's candidacy for for reelection in which he hailed the insurrectionists, these violent criminals as patriots um and you know uh American heroes. And so I think the difference is that um they feel like they don't have a platform, that there's nothing that they can do about it. Uh I think like so many other Americans, uh the the chaos and um what's the word I'm looking for? the cruelty of this uh administration have just proven so overwhelming >> that um that they they feel paralyzed >> when today acting or auditioning AG Todd Blanch testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee and they said to him, "Will you rule out giving any compensation to people who were convicted of beating a police officer on January 6?" And Todd Bland said, "It's open to everybody. you were someone who was beaten up by these people. What's your reaction to the idea that your tax dollars might actually go to compensate someone who beat you up?

[00:03:39]>> Yeah, like I said, it's pouring salt on the wound. It's um it's disgusting. It's a national disgrace.

[00:03:47]Um I it is a black mark on this country that will never ever be erased. Um, and you know, the the other thing that's I think equally frustrating for me is that uh a huge portion of the American people voted for this. Uh, because if any of those any Trump supporters say, "I'm surprised by this behavior," you're a [ __ ] idiot. You weren't paying attention because Donald Trump uh said that he was going to do this throughout his entire candidacy and has alluded to it ever since he took the oath of office on January 20th. Uh, so you know, you supported this, you voted for it. I think they should have to pay it out of their tax dollars, uh, not mine. But, right, I digress. That's not going to happen. Um, and so, you know, it's just one more outrage, um, one more reason to feel betrayed by my country.

[00:04:39]>> I mean, it's up to you to look into this, but I mean, would you apply for compensation?

[00:04:45]and Sergeant Ganell, Harry Dunn, all of you who defend it. And I know that's not the point of this, but sort of in a way of not trying to get money from Trump, but to show how [ __ ] this is that you're the ones who are beaten up and you're the one and now they're going to come say people who beat you up.

[00:05:01]>> First of all, I mean, I I I totally understand and I actually had this conversation before you and I jumped on here with my mom. Um, for those who are not familiar with the story of my mother, um, you know, my mother lived in the same home in Northern Virginia for 30 years. And because of, uh, the threats, um, she was targeted, her home was targeted eight times for swatting events. Uh, she had a credible bomb threat called into her home. Um, you know, she had to sell her house after 30 years and moved to a undisclosed location. Um, and you know, I we we talked about, you know, how she absolutely was a victim of of this administration. um and you know, a victim of uh of January 6th. But if anybody in this in their right mind believes that this is going to be a legitimate process uh to doing out this cash, you're you're also a [ __ ] idiot. Um you know, this is a panel that's going to be appointed by Todd Blanch, who you know, you you noted that he's the attorney general. I like to say Todd Blanch is Trump's personal attorney cosplaying as the acting attorney general for agree. None of this is legitimate. Um, you know, none of these institutions under these individuals under their leadership are are legitimate agencies of democracy and and upholding the Constitution. They're just Donald Trump's personal weaponized um, you know, vehicles to enriching himself and to enacting uh, political vengeance uh, against his uh, his opponents. Um, yeah, but I mean it's >> So what' your mom say though? Well, I mean, I honestly think like it's not for that, but to to get to bring attention to the hypocrisy of this.

[00:06:51]>> Yes, I I get what you're saying, but with that comes a a tremendous amount of um you know, there's a lot of negativity that goes with that.

[00:07:02]>> No, sure. I mean, she's 78 years old.

[00:07:05]She's suffered enough. like, you know, if there's somebody that should be, you know, that there's plenty of other people that um I mean, what how about all the police officers that haven't said [ __ ] since they were attacked on January 6th, haven't stepped forward and and you know, given that you sue or you apply for uh for money and and talk about the mistreatment that you experienced under this administration, you know, leave my mom the [ __ ] alone.

[00:07:30]Um but I totally get the sentiment and I think that I think people should do that. I I don't want anything I don't want a [ __ ] thing from this government. I don't want any money from Democrats. I don't want any money from Republicans. Um you know, as far as I'm concerned, they've all it's just been a you know, tremendous failure on our entire political systems um part uh to hold this administration accountable, Republicans and Democrats, and the institutions that were put in place. You know, let's not forget Merrick Garland's role in um prosecute >> Donald Trump and and literally what was probably one of the most obvious um examples of inciting a riot uh inciting an insurrection uh that if there was a if there could be a textbook example and in fact I I'm convinced that you know when we write this ship and going forward and the history books are written that there will be a law enforcement manual and and in it an example of uh inciting an insurrection or inciting a riot. It'll be Donald Trump's speech on uh you know on the Ellipse uh on January 6, 2021.

[00:08:42]Donald Trump, I've said this so many times. I've said it with Glenn Kurt, our mutual friend. Donald Trump was the Bin Laden of January 6th. Without Bin Laden, there's no 911. Without Trump, there's no January 6. This fund is like bin Laden set up a fund to compensate the families of the 911 terrorists who attacked New York and the Pentagon on his behalf in Pennsylvania as well on his behalf. There's no difference in my mind and the you know the Democrats uh who were I had him on my show. I'm like why aren't you calling for prosecution of Donald Trump? Well, we don't want to seem political. I'm like you're being a patriot. I would literally beg them. I wrote articles for MS MS NBC literally saying you're not partisan. You're being a patriot for calling for the prosecution of a man who had a terrorist attack. Merrick Garland, I had so many conversations with Glenn. Like we literally talked about citizens arrest of Trump. We looked into could we do it.

[00:09:33]I'm not even kid like we really did. And the problem is he has secret service even when he's out of office. We're like this can't work. We were we were be bside ourselves because we know how slow the justice system could go. So I'm glad you brought America. Like when you look at Garland's DOJ uh for some of what we're living through now, do you place some of the blame on them? Absolutely. I mean, there there was a great book that was written by uh two Washington Post investigative journalists. Uh I believe it was called Injustice, and it it goes into all of the reasonings reasons behind, you know, the failures of Merrick Garland's Department of Justice. Um and one of them, which I mean, to be honest with you, I don't know if it necessarily shocked shocked me. Um, it surprised me a little bit, but it certainly disappointed me, uh, disgusted me, and that was that FBI agents and the Department of Justice attorneys who were involved in the Russia investigation were so exhausted uh, by, you know, enduring the attacks by Trump's team of lawyers >> that they didn't want anything to do with, you know, what they, in their minds classified as a political um, not a political prosecution.

[00:10:48]but a prosecution that involved a political person that was Donald Trump and so they just didn't want to touch it with a 10-ft pole and here we are. Um and so yeah, I mean absolutely it it was an institutional failure and the head of that institution was Merrick Garland and you know institutions are only as good as their leadership and so now we have a Trump 2.0 and we're enduring everything that we knew would come with the resurrection of of Donald Trump's political uh ambitions and and his political life.

[00:11:25]>> You know, you worked in law enforcement for years. If someone and and I'm sincerely asking this, if someone was a big like mob boss and got away with everything, got away with the worst crimes ever and they were untouchable, doesn't that not embolden them to go even further going forward?

[00:11:44]Absolutely it does. And I I dealt with people like that on a smaller scale my entire career. Um, I I mean I I remember vividly criminal cases involving guys that had somehow circumvented the criminal justice system literally for decades. And um and but for me as a law enforcement officer uh that only emboldened me. It made me more committed to holding them accountable. Um and you know and in a lot of those cases I did.

[00:12:16]It took me decades to get there, >> but we, you know, we certainly held them accountable. Um, and but that's that's the criminal justice system in America.

[00:12:26]>> Um, and this was a complete departure from everything that that I recognized um, you know, as a as a law enforcement officer in America.

[00:12:38]>> That's exactly if you don't our whole system is based on punish and deterrence. You punish wrongdoers to deter them and others from doing the same conduct. Trump, if you keep telling him he's above the law, which he's heard his whole life, he just gets more and more emboldened. Then you add his cognitive slide, dementia, he's a sociopath, this other stuff. We've got this monster in the White House who who today he's walking around showing the ballroom to reporters like as if nothing as if people are not struggling to pay their their gas prices for their trucks and their cars and stuff and for food.

[00:13:11]the guy is that demented, that sociopathic. But there was something about the future. I'm concerned. I want to get your reaction that my premise here is and I'm concerned is Trump pardoned the January 6 terrorist to send a message, you commit crimes on my behalf, I got your back. Now he's paying them more incentivizing future violence from people maybe in the midterm, maybe in 2028, or at any time he calls upon them that in the mind of a Trump supporter that I could commit crimes.

[00:13:38]They don't get that he can't pardon state crimes. I bet they don't. Most people don't know that, but that he'll pardon me and then he'll pay me. Pardon and payment. It incentiv How concerned are you about this potentially could incentivize future violence on behalf of Trump?

[00:13:50]>> Well, first of all, I think it's important that we address the fact that the violence has never stopped. Um we we haven't seen it at the same scale that we experienced on January 6, 2021 on the attack with the attack on the capital.

[00:14:02]But political violence in this country has has never stopped. And you know, I'll I'll even, you know, go so far as to say that no one, no president, no person in American history has done more to normalize and promote political violence than Donald J. Trump. Uh, and anybody who takes who who would argue with that or who would, you know, any Republican political pundits, Scott Jennings, this one's for you, the argument is now over. It ended today because Donald Trump took it even further and paid the people that committed violent acts on his behalf. He paid them with taxpayer dollars. That's never happened in American history.

[00:14:45]That's never happened, as far as I know, in any democracy in the history of the world. And so here we are uh with you know an unprecedented uh display of support for political violence. And so the argument is over.

[00:15:04]Uh it is that the Republican party under Donald Trump owns the political violence argument. They are the ones who are promoting political violence. Um and they are the ones who are advocating for it openly. Uh not just veiled uh you know remarks but literally saying if you commit violent acts on my behalf I will absolve you of all criminal culpability and I'll pay you. I make you rich. I mean you want to be a millionaire do something for Donald Trump. I tell you something. You know it's it's unbelievable when you look at it when you take a step back and the way you're laying it out. We've never seen this folks. We I know I don't know for the whole world. I don't think any democ democracy either. We have Donald Trump incites a terrorist attack. Doesn't get prosecuted for that part. He got for some voting stuff, but then the Supreme Court protects him. He comes in, he parties a terrorist. Now he's going to pay the terrorist. We hear no Republicans a couple John Thoon's a little uncomfortable with this. That'll pass John Then. I can assure you. It always p they always say uncomfortable.

[00:16:09]They use these words or I love Michael when they say that's not the words I would use. I'm like, well, what's the words you would use to be a racist? Why don't you tell us the word you would use whenever it's about racist stuff, but in this case, so they're not going to come out and do anything. They're going to be lock step or they're not going to answer or they'll do Mike Johnson. I didn't hear about that, but you I could sense a little bit of uh disappointment with Democrats a little bit like Dairo a little bit. Little bit. I could hear it.

[00:16:34]So, what what would you want to see from Democrats going forward? And why are you disappointed with Democrats? And it's fine. I mean, it's not even we're a progressive show. We're not a Democratic show. So, we're a progressive platform, my show. Why are you disqu with Democrats in terms of what happened after January 6 and what do you want to hear from them now after this latest [ __ ] >> I mean, listen, like a lot of the you know, a lot of my grievances are are from actions from the past. And so, you know, while like for me, I think it's it's appropriate and um I but it's it's also in the national conversation, it's not necessarily um it's not going to help anything like what Merrick Garland did, what Democrats did dur under the Biden administration to fail to shore up uh you know, laws to prevent this from happening in the future. Um to anticipate what a Trump 2.0 could look like. uh to be so naive in their in their thinking that he could resurrect his political career and being so out of touch with the American people, with the average American uh on, you know, what was happening in this country. And so that, you know, one, I I want to I I want to see them preparing for not just the midterm elections, but for 2028. I mean, really taking it seriously um and making sure that um that we put our best foot forward going into those election cycles. Um, I think that I I I always get frustrated about, you know, when I talk to establishment Republicans or, you know, why I call them cor or I'm sorry, Democrats, corporist Democrats >> that don't believe that we can um advocate for democracy and also talk about kitchen table issues that average Americans are are experiencing. Like, listen, you know, we're human beings. We have advanced uh you know uh well some of us do but we can walk and chew gum at the same time.

[00:18:32]>> You you can talk about democracy and pres preserving democracy and what that means for the average American. Um and I think a lot of Americans are are waking up to what it means to lose that because they're losing access to voting rights, losing autonomy over their own bodies.

[00:18:49]um they're seeing all of these rights that they've enjoyed um you know without very much effort uh for decades uh erode. And so I want to see I want to see them fight. I don't want to just see individual acts on you know you know I I don't want I'm tired of like I love Jamie Raskin and I love his his uh you know tenacity and and he is a huge champion of you know the fight for democracy but it can't just be [ __ ] Jamie Raskin every time. It should be everybody. It should be a unified effort and they should also be using their platforms in asymmetric ways.

[00:19:25]>> Like who are the representatives of your constituents? How about advocating for other efforts to combat this fascist takeover of our democracy? The general strike getting together with labor unions. I mean dem Democrats still have, you know, the strongest foothold with uh with big labor in this country.

[00:19:45]um you know, let's start looking at at different ways um asymmetric ways to combat what's happening in this country because quite frankly um playing by the the you know the old playbook um you know I I hesitate to say playing by the rules because we can still adhere to the constitution and we can still do things the right way and combat this uh but we just have to be a little bit more ferocious >> and and That's that's what I'm looking for.

[00:20:16]>> No, that's great. And the point you make about Jamie Ras and being a fighter, you know, on my show, we talk about it all the time that there are probably 20 or 25 Democrats that we can all name who are great fighters, right? The problem is there's about 260 Democrats in Congress.

[00:20:29]>> That's the problem. Where are the rest of them? What do they do? Their names in Congress. If I read you the list, you wouldn't even recognize them. They've been there for four terms, five terms, seven terms. They just go home. They do their stuff. They didn't sign up for fighting. We need fighters now. We're in a different. If you don't have the being a fighter, you got then step aside. Let a fighter run and win or be ch p fighters got to challenge you in your p.

[00:20:52]We need all fighters. Only fighters need to play right now.

[00:20:55]>> Absolutely. I I I couldn't agree more.

[00:20:57]And I wish that um I wish that there were more members of Congress who could, you know, do a little soularching and recognize the fact that they don't have it in them and maybe step aside and let somebody else come in that does because that's what the American people want, right?

[00:21:14]>> And I know this because of no Kings one, no Kings 2, and No Kings 3.

[00:21:19]>> Millions and millions of Americans uh record setting amounts of Americans turned out for those protests. And I went to all of them and I spoke with hundreds and hundreds of people, many of them firsttime protesters. And you know what each and every one of them said?

[00:21:34]>> They all told me that they were there because they want Democrats to fight for them. They've given up on the Republican party. They know that the Republican party is corrupted. It's corroded. Uh it's suffering from a cancer that you know there's no ailment for this. It's terminal. Um, the American people are looking for Democrats to step up, step in and and lead and fight back.

[00:22:01]I could not agree more. I had a listener last night put it really well. He goes, "We want Democrats to fight at least as hard as we're fighting." You know, like we're out there doing other things.

[00:22:09]We're going to protest. Where are you?

[00:22:11]And again, there are some great fighters. I I I applaud them and amplify them. I'm I'm almost tired, exhausted of going after the other Democrats. I'm like, I just hope you get primary.

[00:22:21]That's what I can do. And I can keep amplifying the good ones and getting them on shows and amplifying their message, making sure people know what they're doing because there are Democrats fighting a good fight every day. Sometimes they don't get the press they deserve. But last thing I want to touch on and talk with Michael Fenon, who's got a great Substack. You wrote a really good article first about this, but we covered it all about the 1776 fund and all this [ __ ] But on Cash Patel, I got to get your reaction. I mean, you worked in law enforcement. If the head of your the chief of your police was a guy who flew around on a private jet, got drunk with hockey teams, you know, had his own bourbon like Cash Battel and is viewed almost as a punch line. Senate Live Lily literally has his easy and sorry make him a punch line. Does that affect the rank and file who are working in that department, that agency? Absolutely. Um I mean every chief that I ever worked under that um that was an embarrassment. I mean that that had a rippling effect through the rank and file um you know in my agency and you know I I still do speak to some FBI agents that um that I worked narcotics with over my course of my career and they have told me that unequivocally whether whether you are the deepest MAGA supporting uh FBI agent or not that unequivocally Cash Patel is the biggest joke that um you know that that has ever um darkened the doorstep of uh of FBI headquarters.

[00:23:54]Nobody has any respect for him. They all think he's a clown. Um most of them, I think, would prefer that he relegated himself to getting drunk and passing out on the floor of his hotel than actually involving himself in any decision making. So, I I'll be honest with you, like maybe we have it maybe we've got it wrong here. Maybe we should just let Cash Patel go get drunk at hockey games and fly the jet to his 27year-old girlfriend's >> country music events and just tell him stay the [ __ ] away from any investigation that's taking place. let the career the ones that are left because >> he's you know polit pretty much everybody and remember let me remind everybody that you know like many of Donald Trump's uh selections for for these um appointed offices you know in his Senate uh confirmation hearing he swore under oath uh or testified under oath that there would be no political persecutions of personnel from the Department of Justice from the FBI uh and I know dozens literally dozens of agents that were fired only for the only thing each and every one of them had perfect personnel ratings throughout their careers. They were fired because they investigated Jan 6 related cases.

[00:25:20]>> That's absolute [ __ ] Michael, it was great chatting. Before I let you go, where can people follow? Where's the best place? Is it your Substack social media? Where can they go?

[00:25:29]>> Yeah, so Instagram, Michael Fenone official. You can follow me on Substack, uh, Michael Fenone. and then on YouTube at the Michael Fenone Show. Um, and that's that's that's me too in a in a nutshell.

[00:25:41]>> One man media empire here, the Fenown Empire of Media. You, Kersner, Figuzzi, all these guys are out here doing your stuff. Michael, it's great. Thank you so much for spending some time. I really appreciate and thanks for everybody who tuned in. I really appreciate the people who join us as well. Have and I look forward to chat with you in the future.

[00:25:57]Michael, keep up the great fight. You inspire all of us. Sincerely, you really do. Likewise. Seriously, Dean. Likewise.

[00:26:01]Oh, >> thanks. Take care, brother. All right, man.