Ep. 397: On Jan. 6 Capitol Hill Police Officer Sgt. Aquilino Gonell Went to Work and Did His Job By Defending American Democracy

The Chauncey DeVega Show

There are two guests on this week’s episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show.

Dr. Justin Frank is a former clinical professor of psychiatry at the George Washington University Medical Center and the author of Trump on the Couch: Inside the Mind of the President.

He warns that Donald Trump appears to be a megalomaniac, who as demonstrated by his recent comments at a rally in Iowa, truly does believe that he is some type of Chosen One who has been selected by “god” and “Jesus” to be America’s first dictator.

Dr. Frank also explains how Trump’s obviously diseased mind and severe mental unwellness is rooted in a need to protect himself from reality – and how the pro-democracy forces can perhaps pierce Trump’s defense shield as they try to stop his fascist movement and takeover of the country.

Sgt. Aquilino Gonell is a Dominican immigrant, former U.S. Army Soldier, and Iraq War veteran. He’s been a Capitol Hill Police Officer for the past 17 years and was one of four police officers who testified before the House Select Committee investigating the January 6th Insurrection. He’s been recently featured in The New York Times Magazine, The Washington Post, NPR, CBS Mornings, NBC News, Fox-TV, MSNBC, The Daily Beast, The Hill, and Rolling Stone. He is the recipient of the Carnegie Immigrant Award.

Sgt. Gonell’s new book (with co-author Susan Shapiro) is American Shield: The Immigrant Sergeant Who Defended Democracy.

Sgt. Gonell shares what it was like on the ground as he and his fellow officers tried to defend the Capitol on Jan. 6 against Trump’s MAGA terrorist mob and attack force who were trying to end American democracy as part of the coup attempt.

Sgt. Gonell also reflects on his personal trauma, healing, questions of character, and how he became the type of man he is as shown by his service to the country when it would have been much easier to not have shown up to work on that historic Jan. 6.

Chauncey DeVega shares his thoughts on the growing sense of dread in our collective consciousness and that something even more horrible has happened these last few days and weeks as Trump and the MAGA movement are growing in power and their victory in next year’s presidential election -- which will mean the end of American democracy -- appears even more likely.

Chauncey also reflects on where he is in his journey on the two-year anniversary of the Event.

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