Republican Kinzinger said officers' display of vulnerability sparked his tears ...

Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger on Wednesday described how he was overtaken by emotion at the vulnerability displayed by police officers as they recounted being attacked on Jan. 6.

He was mocked by some commentators for crying during the testimony of officers who were attacked as they defended Congress.

But in his first interview since the hearing, he dismissed the criticism and said it was important to get beyond political considerations and focus on the humanity of the moment.    

'I think the reason that hit me so strongly,' he told CNN's Wolf Blizter, 'I was sitting there getting ready to ask my questions and I realised, you know it's important for people to see the humanity of these officers but, you know, the brokenness individually ... I've gotten to know Michael Fanone as I mentioned, very well.

'It is important for them to hear and be remembered that they actually did win that day.'

Kinzinger served in the U.S. Air Force, completing tours of Iraq and Afghanistan, and said he recognized the emotion on display among the officers.  

'Military people and police officers kind of have the same, in essence, kind of shared brotherhood, if you will, and I looked at these tough people who are willing to show their vulnerability to 350 million Americans, which is not something that you know police officers are usually excited to do,' he said.

'It caught me off guard, but I think it's important just to show people that these are human beings and I think yesterday did a good job of showing the humanity of it outside of the cold political calculations that everybody takes every day.'

Fox News host Laura Ingraham took a swipe at him after the hearing, praising him for what she said was the 'best dramatic performance.'

Wolf expressed his own outrage in defense of Kinzinger.

'That Fox personality, by the way, never served a day in uniform in her life,' he said. 

'I just want to be precise I'm that you're a lieutenant colonel in the US Air National Guard. You served heroically in Iraq and Afghanistan, you know what war is.'

Kinzinger and Liz Cheney took center stage during Tuesday's hearing on the January 6th MAGA riot, with Kinzinger tearing up as he thanked the police officers for their service and Cheney warning America could face a riot every four years if those behind that day are not held accountable for their actions. 

'I never expected today to be quite as emotional for me as it has been,' Kinzinger said, sniffling as he choked back tears. He noted how he got to know many of the officers in the aftermath of the riot.

Both he and Cheney hugged a few of the officers at the beginning of the hearing. 

'I think it's important to tell you right now though,' Kinzinger continued. 'You guys may like individually feel a little broken.'

But, he added: 'You guys won.' 

The emotional day got to almost everyone - lawmakers and witnesses alike. Several times the officers wiped away tears, particularly when footage from January 6th was shown. 

'You saved the day. You saved the Constitution,' Rep. Zoe Lofgren told them. 

Some of the most dramatic words came early on when Cheney, in her opening statement offered cautionary words about what could happen in the wake of future presidential elections. She called January 6th a 'cancer' on the Constitution. 

'If those responsible are not held accountable and if Congress does not act responsibly, this will remain a cancer on our constitutional republic, undermining the peaceful transfer of power at the heart of our democratic system. We will face the threat of more violence in the months to come and another January 6 every four years,' she said. 

Six months after the riot, where Donald Trump supporters stormed the Capitol to try and stop the certification of Joe Biden's presidential victory, 590 people have been charged. More than 300 suspects are still wanted by law enforcement. In the aftermath of that day, five people died while staff and officers on Capitol Hill remained traumatized over what happened.

The committee began its first hearing into January 6th with dramatic new footage from that day, showing Trump's  supporters overrunning the building and attacking police officers.

It also contained harrowing testimony from four offices at the Capitol that day, who recounted being physical beaten by the rioters, being called obscenities, and fearing for their lives. 

'We are not asking for medals and recognition, we just want justice and accountability,' said Sgt. Aquilino Gonell of US Capitol Police.

And Officer Daniel Hodges of the DC Metropolitan Police told the seven Democrats and two Republicans on the panel what he wanted of them was to find out 'if anyone in power had a role in this, anyone in power coordinated or aided or abetted or tried to downplay or tried to prevent the investigation of this terrorist attack, because we can't.' 

The committee showed new video footage from the day of the riot. The graphic video was filled with rioters shouting obscenities. It showed the rioters throwing objects and gas canisters at police officers, screaming and shouting as they broke the Capitol's windows to breach the building.

Police officers are heard on the radio, begging for help as the rioters overwhelmed them.

And the rioters are heard making their own threats. 

'Can I speak to Pelosi? We're coming b***h,' one rioter is seen saying of Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

'Hang Mike Pence,' the crowd is heard shouting about the then-vice president. 

TOUGH WORDS FROM CHENEY AND KINZINGER 

In her opening statement, Cheney called on those officials who served in Trump's White House with knowledge of the day to step forward and testify.

'We must know what happened here at the Capitol. We must also know what happened every minute of that day in the White House - every phone call every conversation every meeting, leading up to during an after the attack. Honorable men and women have an obligation to step forward,' she said. 

Cheney and Kinzinger are the only two Republicans on the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. Both serve at the invitation of Speaker Nancy Pelosi. 

Kinzinger, a GOP lawmaker from Illinois, slammed his fellow Republicans who dismissed what happened on January 6th.

'Like most Americans, I'm frustrated that six months after a deadly insurrection breach the United States Capitol for several hours on live television,' he said. 'We still don't know exactly what happened. Why? Because many in my party have treated this as just a another partisan fight. It's toxic and it's a disservice to the officers families.'

He added: 'I'm here to investigate January 6 not in spite of my membership in the Republican Party, but because of it, not to win a political fight, but to learn the facts and defend our democracy. Here's what we know. Congress was not prepared. On January 6 we weren't prepared because we never imagined that this could happen.' 

Cheney said the committee's investigation will be nonpartisan, countering charges from Republican leadership that the hearing is a 'sham' with its outcome pre-determined.

'When a threat to our constitutional order arises as it has here, we are obligated to rise above politics. This investigation must be nonpartisan,' Cheney, a Republican lawmaker from Wyoming, said. 

The video footage was shown to emphasize Democrats' point that the rioters were trying over throw the government.

'A peaceful transfer of power did not happen this year. It did not happen. Let that sink in. Think about it. A violent mob was pointed at the Capitol and told to win a trial by combat,' Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson, the chair of the panel, said in his opening statement.

'These rioters were organized, they were ready for fight, and they came close to succeeding. It's frightening to think about how close,' he added.

At Tuesday's hearing, the lawmakers heard from four police officers who were at the Capitol on January 6th, when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the building, leaving five people dead and a trail of destruction. 

Harry Dunn, Private First Class, U.S. Capitol Police  Aquilino Gonell, Sergeant, U.S. Capitol Police  Michael Fanone, Officer, Metropolitan Police Department  Daniel Hodges, Officer, Metropolitan Police Department   

REP. MURPHY REVEALS HOW COPS SAVED HER DURING RIOT 

Democratic Rep. Stephanie Murphy told the officers that she and fellow Rep. Kathleen Rice were hiding in a room 40 feet away from the tunnel where Hodges, Fanone and other officers pushed rioters back.

'You were our last line of defense,' she said. 'I shudder to think what would have happened had you not held that line.'

She recalled hearing the officers' coughing, helping one another, and then going back out to fight.

Murphy said the two women took refuge in that room because they thought they would be safe in the Capitol basement.

'It turned out we ended up at the center of the storm,' she said. 'Imagine if they had caught the two members of Congress that were just 40 feet from where you all were.'

She told the officers their actions gave her and Rice time to escape with a group of US Capitol Police officers sent to extract them.

She noted she has two young children: a 10-year-old son and a seven-year-old daughter.

'And the reason I was able to hug them again, was because of the courage that you and your fellow officers showed that day. And so just to really heartfelt thank you,' she said.

She noted not a single lawmaker was captured or hurt during the riot.

'I think it's important for everybody though to remember that the main reason rioters didn't harm any members of Congress was because they didn't encounter any members of Congress, and they didn't encounter any members of Congress because law enforcement officers did your jobs that day, and you did it well. I think without you, what would have been a terrible and what was a terrible and tragic day would have been even more terrible and more tragic. So just very grateful for all of you,' she added.

Hodges told her he had no doubt that the rioters wanted to kidnap or kill a lawmaker.

GONELL SLAMS TRUMP FOR SAYING RIOTERS HUGGED AND KISSED COPS 

In his testimony, Gonell slammed Trump for his false claim that the rioters were 'hugging and kissing' the rioters that day.

'I'm still recovering from those hugs and kisses that day,' said Gonell, who was attacked by rioters with a flag pole.

Under the questioning from Cheney, Gonell had more strong words against the former president, saying 'we should all go to his house and do the same thing to him. To me, it's insulting, it's demoralizing.'

'All of them were telling us, Trump sent us,' he said. 'It was not Antifa. It was not Black Lives Matters.' 

He later apologized and said he was not suggesting anyone go to Trump's home. 

In his testimony, Gonell recounted how the 'rioters call me traitor.'

'The rioters were vicious and relentless. We found ourselves in a violent battle,' he said of that day.

He described his experience 'like something from a medieval battle. We fought hand to hand, inch by inch, to prevent an invasion of the Capitol by the mob intend on subverting our democracy.'

Most of the officers grew emotional watching the footage from January 6th. At one point, Fanone got up to offer comfort to Gonell.

FANONE DESCRIBE BEING TASERED AND ELECTROCUTED 

Fanone, who suffered a heart attack from his injuries on January 6th, recounted how he was repeatedly tasered and threatened with his own gun by the rioters.

'I was aware enough to recognize I was at risk of being stripped of and killed with my own firearm. I was electrocuted, again and again and again with a taser,' he said. 

The committee showed footage from Fanone's body camera, where his fellow officer and friend, Jimmy Albright had come to support US Capitol Police.

The feed from his camera showed the ceiling, as Fanone laid on the ground after suffering his heart attack.

'Mike it's Jimmy. I'm here,' Albright is heard saying. 'Mike stay in there buddy.'

Fanone said he was unconscious for about four minutes.  

He described how he and his fellow officers held the line in one of the underground tunnels that lead from the Capitol to the lawmakers' personal office buildings, holding back the mob so they could not break through.

'The narrowness of the hallway provided what was probably the only chance of holding back the crowd from entering your personal offices, the House and Senate chambers,' he said.

He became visibly emotional, saying 'what makes the struggle harder and more painful' is seeing lawmakers 'downplaying or outright denying what happened,' even after he 'went to hell and back' for them.

'Being an officer, you know your life is a risk whenever you walk out the door. Even if you don't expect otherwise law abiding citizens take up arms against you. But nothing - truly nothing - prepared me to address those elected members of our government, who continue to deny the events of that day. And in doing

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