Fact Check: Police officer Michael Fanone did not storm the U.S. Capitol waving a Confederate flag

Nayeli Lomeli, USA TODAY
·3 min read

The claim: Police officer is the man who carried a Confederate flag during the Capitol riot

In late July, four police officers who responded to the Jan. 6 insurrection recounted their experience as they fought off the mob of President Donald Trump's supporters who stormed the U.S. Capitol.

One of those officers, Michael Fanone of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, described being captured by the crowd. He was shocked with his own stun gun and heard someone shout, "Kill him with his own gun!"

Some Facebook users, however, are falsely asserting the officer was one of the mob, citing photos they claim show Fanone in the Capitol carrying a Confederate flag.

A July 31 post features a compilation of side-by-side images. Three images on the left show a man during the riot carrying a Confederate flag//, and three photos on the right show Fanone.

The caption reads: "Wow... From Insurrection Participant To (Capitol) Police Witness!! Funny How That Works, Huh??"

This claim is carried across similar posts. In some, above the images, there is text that reads "That's suspicious." Various versions of this post together have accumulated nearly 1,500 shares.

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But the man waving the flag and Fanone are not the same person.

USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the July 31 post for comment.

Images and videos contradict claim

Several news organizations have reported the FBI identified the flag-carrying protester in the images as Kevin Seefried from Delaware. He was arrested Jan. 14 along with his son, Hunter, and charged in connection with the insurrection.

According to court documents, the FBI identified Seefried after matching his driver's license photo to video and photos taken of the Jan. 6 riot.

In an interview with the FBI, Seefried confirmed that he brought the flag from his home.

The original image of Seefried with the flag was taken by Saul Loeb of AFP news agency for Getty Images.

Fanone, on the other hand, is seen in his own bodycam footage being attacked and dragged by the mob. He isn't carrying a flag.

USA TODAY reached out to the D.C. Metropolitan Police for comment.

Kevin Seefried of Delaware carries a Confederate flag as he protests in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington.
Kevin Seefried of Delaware carries a Confederate flag as he protests in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington.

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Our rating: False

The claim that photos show a police officer carrying a Confederate flag during the January riots at the U.S. Capitol is FALSE, based on our research. The FBI has identified the man in the photos as Seefried, who told the FBI in an interview that he brought the flag with him from home.

Our fact-check sources:

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact Check: Fanone did not wave a Confederate flag at Capitol riot