"Go f*ck yourself": Jack Smith hearing rocked by angry altercation

• Former D.C. Metropolitan Police officer Michael Fanone repeatedly told far-right operative Ivan Raiklin "go f*ck yourself" at the hearing, where the two were both in attendance as audience members.
• "You're a traitor to this f*cking country," Fanone also told Raiklin, getting close enough that two of his former law enforcement colleagues had to restrain him.

Driving the news: The altercation occurred during a recess in the Judiciary Committee's hearing, with Raiklin starting off the interaction by trying to shake Fanone's hand.

• Fanone repeatedly cursed at Raiklin and told him not to "pretend" that they are on good terms, Raiklin responded, "Why do you have to lose your cool like that?"
• "This guy has threatened my family, threatened my children. Threatened to rape my children ... you sick bastard," Fanone told Raiklin as people gathered around the two men.
• Raiklin denied those claims and raised the possibility of suing Fanone for defamation in a post on X.

Between the lines: Fanone was one of several law enforcement officers who testified to the Jan. 6 Select Committee in 2021 about his experience defending the Capitol from rioters earlier that year.

• The ex-MPD officer said he was "grabbed, beaten, tased, all while being called a traitor to my country."

• Raiklin, for his part, was a key figure in pressuring then-Vice President Mike Pence to try to overturn the 2020 election results and has continued to propagate conspiracy theories about the election.

Zoom out: Fanone's fellow Capitol Police veterans, Jared Dunn and Aquilino Gonell, quickly rushed to hold Fanone back and de-escalate the situation, with Dunn telling Fanone repeatedly, "Let's take a seat."

• Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) then banged his gavel and called the hearing to order, with ranking member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) thanking Fanone and Democrats applauding the former officer.
• "Mr. Chairman, please control the deranged observer Mr. Raiklin," Raskin told Jordan.