Ivan Raiklin tears into Michael Fanone after heated clash at Jack Smith hearing; 'unhinged Pelosi drinking buddy'

Ivan Raiklin, far-right activist, slammed ex-DC cop Michael Fanone after their heated exchange at former Trump special counsel Jack Smith's hearing.

Published on: Jan 23, 2026, 03:23:48 IST

By Shuvrajit Das Biswas

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Ivan Raiklin, far-right activist, slammed ex-DC Metropolitan police officer Michael Fanone after their heated exchange at former Trump special counsel Jack Smith's hearing.

A US Capitol Police officer intervenes as far-right political operative Ivan Raiklin (L) confronts former Metropolitan Police Department officer Michael Fanone (R) held by Former US Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn (2R), during a break in testimony by former US special counsel Jack Smith before the House Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. (AFP)

The two clashed during recess when Raiklin attempted to shake Fanone's hand. The former is a prominent promoter of 2020 election conspiracy theories and his X bio indicates support for far-right groups like Proud Boys and Oath Keepers. Their interaction quickly devolved when Fanone rejected the gesture and launched into expletives, prompting authorities to respond.

Also Read | Why Ivan Raiklin, Michael Fanone clashed at Jack Smith's hearing. New video reveals details

“Go f*ck yourself,” Fanone repeatedly said to Raiklin and added, “You're a traitor to this f*cking country.” After their clash, Raiklin posted on X, tearing into Fanone.

What Raiklin said about Fanone?

Raiklin said on the social media platform, “notice how Fedsurrectionist Fagnone threatens a woman USCP Officer,” while sharing a video from Smith's hearing.

“The democrats clap like carnival barking penguins at his assault of USCP officer that keep her cool and demeanor the entire time while protecting members of ingress and the integrity of the hearing from this unstable unhinged Pelosi drinking buddy,” he added.

What Raiklin and Fanone clashed?

During the heated exchange, Fanone leveled some serious allegations against Raiklin. “This guy has threatened my family, threatened my children. Threatened to rape my children ... you sick b***ard,” the former cop said.

He also challenged Raiklin directly, saying “F*cking do something. Do something.” Meanwhile, the right-winger responded saying "Why do you have to lose your cool like that?”. It is a point he reiterated on social media.

When tensions came to a boil, Capitol Police veterans Jared Dunn and Aquilino Gonell stepped in to hold Fanone back. Dunn even urged him to ‘take a seat’. Soon after, Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) banged his gavel to restore order.

Meanwhile, Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) addressed the disruption by thanking Fanone and telling the Chairman to ‘control the deranged observer Mr. Raiklin.’

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shuvrajit Das Biswas
Shuvrajit has over seven years of experience covering US, India, and world news. An English Literature postgraduate from Jadavpur University, Shuvrajit started off covering entertainment, gaming and all things pop culture. There were brief periods away from the media industry, with short stints in content marketing, ed-tech and academic editing. However, the newsroom beckoned and over the last few jobs, Shuvrajit has exceedingly focused on team functioning as well, including tracking news and assigning tasks, working on everyday breaking news, framing detailed coverage plans, and creating immersive and data-driven stories. In his time as a digital journalist, he has covered a Lok Sabha election, multiple state elections, Union Budgets and award ceremonies. He has also helped in planning content for company event panels in the past. For work, Shuvrajit enjoys dabbling with data visualization, editing tools, and AI chatbots and attempts to incorporate AI workflows in everyday tasks. He is deeply interested in geopolitics, sports, films and music. Prompting is a new fascination for Shuvrajit now. Apart from that, he can be found doom-scrolling, sharing memes, or cheering on his favorite football team.Read More

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