Ex-police officer who defended US Capitol on Jan. 6 announces bid for Congress

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A former U.S. Capitol Police officer who fought a mob of Donald Trump's supporters as they attacked the nation's legislature on Jan. 6, 2021, announced his bid for Congress on Friday, citing an ongoing threat to American democracy.

"Everybody has a role to play defending this democracy and I'm stepping into mine right now," Harry Dunn said in an interview with Reuters.

Dunn's announcement on the eve of the three-year anniversary of the violent attack came as the former Republican president again seeks the White House after his 2020 loss to Democrat Joe Biden. Biden has also cast this year's contest as critical to democracy's survival as he and Trump prepare for a rematch in November.

Dunn, a Black 15-year veteran of the police force that protects U.S. lawmakers, has been vocal about the physical and racist abuse he endured during the attack as Trump supporters sought to prevent Congress from certifying Biden's 2020 victory, including before a bipartisan House of Representatives panel that investigated the deadly riot. He has said he battled post-traumatic stress disorder from the event.

Dunn is seeking to replace retiring U.S. Representative John Sarbanes of Maryland, a Democrat, as Democrats seek to win back the majority in the chamber. He recently resigned from the police force, he said in a campaign ad posted on social media.

The district, which sits between Washington and Baltimore, is considered to be a safe seat for Democrats. Among Dunn's competitors for the Democratic nomination are a nurse, nearly a half-dozen state lawmakers and an agricultural entrepreneur.

Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges in federal and state courts for attempting to subvert the 2020 election.

Trump has called Jan. 6 a "protest" and vowed to pardon at least some of those who have been charged, convicted or pleaded guilty if he wins the presidency. So far, more than 1,200 people have been charged in the attack in which about 140 police officers were assaulted and seven people died.

Five Republicans are challenging Trump for the nomination, but have largely steered clear of mentioning Jan. 6, with two rivals — Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis — promising to pardon Trump if he is convicted of any crimes.

Since the attack, Republicans have become more sympathetic to the rioters and less likely to blame Trump for his actions that day, a Washington Post-University of Maryland poll this week showed.

Representatives for Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"Here we are, an election cycle away from the extinction of our democracy as we know it today," Dunn said. "I absolutely believe it can happen again. Donald Trump to this day has said he did nothing wrong. And if somebody thinks they did nothing wrong, then what's to stop them from doing it again?"

(Reporting by Susan Heavey and Alexandra Sarabia; additional reporting by Makini Brice; editing by Jonathan Oatis)