{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-calls-police-officer-who-defended-capitol-on-january-6th-and-expert-on-extremism-and-terrorism-as-witnesses-for-hearing-on-politically-motivated-violence/", "Welch Calls Police Officer Who Defended Capitol on January 6th and Expert on Extremism and Terrorism as Witnesses for Hearing on Politically Motivated Violence", "2025-10-27", "2025", "2025-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "VT", "Peter Welch", "W000800", "www.welch.senate.gov", "welch", "https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-release/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 On Tuesday, October 28, the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution will hold a hearing titled \u201cPolitically Violent Attacks: A Threat to Our Constitutional Order,\u201d in which the Republican majority will advance a false narrative that political violence is a one-sided issue. Ranking Member Peter Welch (D-Vt.) today announced witnesses for the Subcommittee\u2019s minority\u2014Daniel Hodges, a Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Officer who responded to the January 6th insurrection on the U.S. Capitol, and William (Bill) Braniff, Executive Director of the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL) in the School of Public Affairs at American University.\n\n\u201cLet\u2019s be clear: political violence is, without question, a \u2018both sides\u2019 issue, and this partisan hearing only serves to turn up the temperature. Any and all politically-motivated attacks must be strongly condemned\u2014from Democrats and Republicans alike,\u201d said Senator Welch. \u201cI am thankful the Subcommittee will hear directly from both a leading expert in extremism, as well as a brave police officer who defended the Capitol from the mob on January 6th. I call on the Subcommittee to work together to curb all political violence and protect our fragile democracy.\u201d\n\nOfficer Daniel Hodges has served as an officer with Washington D.C.\u2019s Metropolitan Police Department since 2014. On January 6, 2021, Officer Hodges defended the United States Capitol against a violent insurrection and was injured in the attack. The mob, incited by President Trump, attempted to prevent the peaceful transfer of power and certification of the 2020 election. He returned to full duty, later testifying before the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack., as well as a spotlight hearing by Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee focused on President Trump\u2019s pardons and commutations for January 6th insurrectionists. Officer Hodges was honored with the Presidential Citizens Medal by President Biden in 2023.\n\nBill Braniff is a respected leader in America\u2019s efforts to prevent violent extremism. Mr. Braniff is the Executive Director of the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL) in the School of Public Affairs at American University. He is a United States Army veteran and previously served as Director of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security\u2019s Center for Prevention Partnerships and Programs (CP3). Mr. Braniff also led the University of Maryland\u2019s National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START), and served in leadership at West Point\u2019s Combating Terrorism Center (CTC).\n\nMajority witnesses will include Michael Knowles of the Daily Wire; Chad Wolf, former Acting DHS Secretary and Chair of America First Policy Institute\u2019s Homeland Security and Immigration Center; and Kyle Shideler, Director and Senior Analyst for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism at the Center for Security Policy.\n\nLogistics for tomorrow\u2019s hearing are included below:\n\nTitle: Politically Violent Attacks: A Threat to Our Constitutional Order\n\nDate: Tuesday, October 28, 2025\n\nTime: 2:30 P.M. ET\n\nLocation: Room 226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building\n\nLivestream: Watch live HERE.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.welch.senate.gov/welch-calls-police-officer-who-defended-capitol-on-january-6th-and-expert-on-extremism-and-terrorism-as-witnesses-for-hearing-on-politically-motivated-violence/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.6897919811308384, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}