CBS News
Jan. 6 officers to campaign for Biden in battleground states
Veteran officers who defended the Capitol during the attack on Jan. 6, 2021, will campaign for President Biden in key battleground states, the campaign announced on Tuesday.
The officers will be warning voters what could happen if Donald Trump is elected again, the Biden campaign said.
Former Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, former U.S. Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn, and D.C. police officer Danny Hodges will act as surrogates for the campaign in states including Nevada, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan and New Hampshire in the weeks and months ahead.
The campaign says the trio will underscore Trump’s praise for the Jan. 6 rioters, including having called them “unbelievable patriots,” and how Trump said he’ll be a dictator on “day one” of a second term. Trump has also said there will be a “bloodbath” if Mr. Biden wins in November.
Gonell, Dunn and Hodges were all assaulted by rioters during the Capitol attack. Since then, they have become prominent voices reminding the public what happened on Jan. 6, as some Republicans on Capitol Hill have tried to downplay the day’s violence. A U.S. Capitol plaque honoring the police heroes of the day was required to be installed by March 2023, but it still hasn’t happened, as CBS News’ Scott MacFarlane has reported.
Dunn ran for the Democratic nomination in Maryland’s 3rd Congressional District but ulitmately fell short to state Sen. Sarah Elfreth in May.
The Biden campaign says the men will meet with elected officials and law enforcement organizations to “raise the alarm” about a second Trump term.
“Donald Trump and his unhinged quest for power and retribution pose an existential threat to our democracy,” Dunn said in a statement released by the campaign. “He continues to embrace political violence, going as far as saying there will be a ‘bloodbath’ if he loses again and promising to be a dictator on ‘day one’ and pardon January 6 rioters. Donald Trump only cares about Donald Trump, which is why come November, Americans will reject his extremism once and for all and reelect the only candidate in the race committed to protecting our democracy and standing up for law enforcement: Joe Biden.”
The Department of Justice has charged more than 1,200 people with crimes related to the Jan. 6 Capitol assault, with hundreds of guilty pleas and convictions.
The veteran officers have described how they still recall Jan. 6 vividly.
“I was assaulted many times throughout the day,” Hodges told NPR in an interview in January. “I was beaten, punched, kicked, pushed, beaten with my own riot baton in the head, crushed with a police shield. Someone tried to gouge out one of my eyes.”
Mr. Biden has held events to mark the Capitol assault each January since.
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
A food company known for popular grocery store condiments has recalled a package of tortilla strips that may be contaminated with wheat, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday. The product is meant to be gluten-free.
Sugar Foods, a manufacturing and distribution corporation focused mainly on various toppings, artificial sweeteners and snacks, issued the recall for the “Santa Fe Style” version of tortilla strips sold by the brand Fresh Gourmet.
“People who have a wheat allergy or severe sensitivity to wheat run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume the product,” said Sugar Foods in an announcement posted by the FDA.
Packages of these tortilla strips with an expiration date as late as June 20, 2025, could contain undeclared wheat, meaning the allergen is not listed as an ingredient on the label. The Fresh Gourmet product is marketed as gluten-free.
Sugar Foods said a customer informed the company on Nov. 19 that packages of the tortilla strips actually contained crispy onions, another Fresh Gourmet product normally sold in a similar container. The brand’s crispy onion product does contain wheat, and that allergen is noted on the label.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
No illnesses tied to the packaging mistake have been reported, according to the announcement from Sugar Foods. However, the company is still recalling the tortilla strips as a precaution. The contamination issue may have affected products distributed between Sept. 30 and Nov. 11 in 22 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington.
Sugar Foods has advised anyone with questions about the recall to contact the company’s consumer care department by email or phone.
CBS News reached out to Sugar Foods for more information but did not receive an immediate reply.
This is the latest in a series of food product recalls affected because of contamination issues, although the others involved harmful bacteria. Some recent, high-profile incidents include an E. coli outbreak from organic carrots that killed at least one person in California, and a listeria outbreak that left an infant dead in California and nine people hospitalized across four different states, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The E. coli outbreak is linked to multiple different food brands while the listeria outbreak stemmed from a line of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products sold by Yu-Shang Foods.
