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Why Ivan Raiklin, Michael Fanone clashed at Jack Smith's hearing. New video reveals details
A House Judiciary Committee hearing for former Trump special counsel Jack Smith was briefly disrupted on Thursday
A House Judiciary Committee hearing for former Trump special counsel Jack Smith was briefly disrupted on Thursday after a heated confrontation erupted between former DC Metropolitan Police officer Michael Fanone and far-right activist Ivan Raiklin.
The clash unfolded during a recess, when Raiklin, a prominent promoter of 2020 election conspiracy theories, attempted to shake Fanone’s hand. Fanone immediately rejected the gesture, unleashing a profane verbal tirade. Authorities immediately responded.
“Go f*ck yourself,” Fanone repeatedly told Raiklin.“You're a traitor to this f*cking country,” he added.
Why Michael Fanone and Ivan Raiklin clashed
As the exchange escalated, Fanone accused Raiklin of serious personal threats. “This guy has threatened my family, threatened my children. Threatened to rape my children ... you sick b***ard,” Fanone said as onlookers rushed to intervene.
At one point, he challenged Raiklin directly: “F*cking do something. Do something.”
Raiklin responded by questioning Fanone’s reaction, saying, “Why do you have to lose your cool like that?”
Fanone later made clear why the encounter struck such a nerve. He was among the law enforcement officers who testified before the Jan 6 Select Committee in 2021, recounting how he was assaulted while defending the US Capitol during the riot. He previously said he was “grabbed, beaten, tased, all while being called a traitor to my country.”
Raiklin, meanwhile, has been a central figure in efforts to pressure then–Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the 2020 election and has continued to promote debunked claims about voter fraud.
As tensions flared, Capitol Police veterans Jared Dunn and Aquilino Gonell quickly stepped in to hold Fanone back, with Dunn urging him, “Let's take a seat.” Moments later, Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) banged his gavel to restore order.
Ranking member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) then addressed the disruption, thanking Fanone as Democrats applauded. “Mr. Chairman, please control the deranged observer Mr. Raiklin,” Raskin told Jordan.
