4 things to know about the Jan. 6 footage released by Tucker Carlson

By Ryan Foley, Christian Post Reporter Thursday, March 09, 2023

Capitol Police officer tasked with protecting the certification of electoral votes claims he never spoke with Jan. 6 committee and was reprimanded for wearing a MAGA hat

Former Capitol Police Officer Tarik Johnson appeared on "Tucker Carlson Tonight" Tuesday. Identified by Carlson as the man tasked with "securing the certification of the presidential election," Johnson highlighted his lack of involvement with the Jan. 6 committee and detailed the moments that led to the placement of a "Make America Great Again" hat on his head.

Carlson asked Johnson to evaluate "the job of the Jan. 6 committee," specifically whether he thought that "they were honest in the way they approached it" and "got to the truth." Johnson responded, "I prayed almost daily that they would get to me."

"I was never asked to testify," he said. "I was never asked by anybody connected to the Jan. 6 committee to testify. I asked myself 'why' every day."

Johnson concluded that the committee elected to "focus on Donald Trump and not the failures of the Capitol Police," referring to the agency's lack of preparedness for the events of that day. He summarized his analysis of what occurred on Jan. 6: "Some people there had planned on being violent. Some people may have turned violent."

"People wanted to support their president," he added. "Some of those people wanted just to support him, and some of those people didn't commit violence and some of those people didn't plan on it."

As Johnson responded to a "distress call" indicating that nearly a dozen officers were trapped on the steps of the Capitol Rotunda, he gave people "high fives" in an effort to make his way through the crowd and get to the top of the stairs. While he was heading back down the stairs, one of the protesters placed the MAGA hat on top of his head.

The presence of the hat on his head led to Johnson's suspension. Johnson ultimately resigned from his position after 22 years on the job, making him unable to collect his pension.