Republican Andrew Clyde Slammed After Refusing To Shake Hands With Capitol Police Officer

Rep. Andrew Clyde of Georgia is under fire after he refused to shake hands with Michael Fanone, a police officer who was assaulted by rioters on Jan. 6 while trying to protect the Capitol and members of Congress.

Fanone suffered a heart attack and a traumatic brain injury after being beaten unconscious by rioters. He has since joined other members of law enforcement in speaking out against republicans like Clyde, who have tried to downplay the Capitol riot.

On Wednesday, Fanone visited the Capitol to schedule appointments share his story from the day of the riot with the 21 House Republicans who voted against giving police officers, who responded to the insurrection, the Congressional Gold Medal.

By Thursday, Clyde’s name was trending on Twitter with voters slamming the Republican over his refusal to greet the man who risked his life to protect members of Congress.

“House Seditionist Andrew Clyde ran into Capitol Officer Michael Fanone and refused to shake his hand. This is the scumbag who voted against awarding gold medals to the Capitol Police and called the insurrection a tour. They’re saying who they are out loud, and it’s ignored,” one person tweeted.

Another user suggested Clyde should no longer be allowed to hold a position in Congress. “Representative Andrew Clyde does not deserve to serve another day in office. Shame on him,” the post read.

In an interview with CNN’s Don Lemon, Fanone revealed that when he arrived at the Capitol to inquire about the appointments, he went into the same elevator as Clyde, who refused to shake his hand.

“I simply extended my hand and said, ‘How are you doing today, Congressman.’ I knew immediately he recognized me by the way he reacted. He completely froze. He just stared at me,” he said.

Fanone revealed that Clyde didn’t know who he was so Fanone decided to introduce himself as a D.C. police officer who "fought to defend the Capitol on Jan. 6."

However, Clyde remained silent and turned away. "His response was nothing," he explained. "He turned away from me, pulled out his cellphone, and started thumbing through the apps."

Fanone saw Clyde go to his camera app and believed the Congressman was trying to record the exchange. Once the elevator doors opened, Clyde reportedly bolted.

Fanone later spoke about the encounter to Reps. and Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., and Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., who shared the officer’s story on Twitter.