Newsmax Host Greg Kelly Calls Jan. 6 Officers 'Despicable' Over PTSD Claims

Newsmax host Greg Kelly launched a scathing attack on the officers who were protecting the Capitol on January 6, saying they were "despicable" for describing how they are now suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome.

During his Tuesday show, broadcast two days before the one-year anniversary of the riot, Kelly condemned the media appearances given by officers Michael Fanone and Harry Dunn as well as their descriptions of how the violence from the riot still affects them.

While playing clips of the officers discussing their PTSD, Kelly asked "when did it become fashionable for men to talk like this, to exaggerate things like this" while saying the policemen should be prepared to encounter incidents like what occurred on January 6.

"It was a riot. Somehow they think that it was beneath them somehow," Kelly said. "It's a tough job, people get hurt. I don't know, I just find these guys despicable, quite frankly."

Kelly also dismissed an opinion piece from Dunn and fellow Capitol police officer Aquilino Gonell recently published in The Washington Post.

In the article, the officers describe how they "grieve for an America somehow divided over what really transpired" on January 6, 2021 and how they are "deeply concerned about the threat of future political violence that continues to hover over our democracy."

Reacting to the article, Kelly said that the officers are "talking so much about what a great job they did" and said the police should be held more accountable for what transpired on January 6 because of an apparent lack of preparation and action.

"I love cops, it takes a special type of person to join the police force or join the military. But that doesn't mean you can just rest on your laurels. Every day you've got to produce and January 6 was a law enforcement failure," Kelly said.

The Newsmax host then replayed clips from the day which appeared to show police letting the violent mob enter the Capitol grounds, allowing them inside the building with no resistance and apparently failing to prevent the violence which was taking place inside.

"I'm sorry, but as organizations, they all failed," Kelly said. "And as organizations, they let down Donald Trump and I know there are a lot of Trump supporters in those groups.

"But this was a disaster and nobody deserved a gold medal."

According to the Justice Department, 140 police officers were assaulted during the January 6 riot at the Capitol, including about 80 Capitol Police and about 60 from the Metropolitan Police Department.

Both departments have been contacted for comment about Kelly's remarks.