Statement on My Confrontation with Political Agitator Ivan Raiklin Inside the U.S. Capitol

I will never apologize for defending my family.

I want to be very clear about what happened that day.

This didn’t happen online.
This wasn’t social media drama.

This happened inside the United States Capitol, during a House Judiciary Committee hearing where Jack Smith was testifying about his criminal investigation into Donald Trump.

I was seated in the hearing room when a man sitting behind me decided to approach me.

That man is Ivan Raiklin — a MAGA activist who calls himself Trump’s so-called “Secretary of Retribution.”

He didn’t approach me in good faith.
He didn’t approach me to talk.

He approached me because that’s what people like him do — they provoke, they record, and they try to bait reactions.

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The Individual Who Approached Me

Now, what you need to understand is this.

This is not some random person.
This is someone who has threatened my family.
Threatened my children.

So when he stuck his hand out and tried to play polite, I responded honestly.

I told him to go f*** himself.
And I told him he’s a traitor.

Because that’s what he is.

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Context for My Response

You’ll hear him say I “lost my cool.”
You’ll hear him claim he was being “professional.”

That’s nonsense.

What you’re watching there is restraint.

Because when someone who has made violent threats against your family walks up to you inside the Capitol — smiling, filming, and trying to humiliate you — restraint is the only thing preventing that moment from turning into something much worse.

And I had it.

Standing just a few feet away from me was my friend and fellow officer, Harry Dunn — someone who understands exactly how these provocations work, and who stepped in before things escalated further.

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What Happened in the Hearing Room

As Capitol Police intervened, Raiklin did what these people always do.

He smirked.
He postured.
He pretended he was “dominating” the situation.

That’s not dominance.
That’s cowardice.

Because real strength doesn’t come from threatening families, filming confrontations, and then crying victim when someone stands up to you.

And yes — Jim Jordan banged his gavel and called for order.

But let’s be honest about what was actually out of order.

It wasn’t my response.
It was the fact that someone who has openly threatened violence against my family was allowed to sit behind me in a congressional hearing in the first place.

As I was escorted out, Jamie Raskin thanked me — because everyone in that room understood exactly what just happened.

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The Aftermath

Now, after all of this, Raiklin is threatening to sue me.

And that tells you everything you need to know.

These people want intimidation without consequences.
They want to provoke without being confronted.
They want to threaten families, but hide behind lawsuits when someone pushes back.

I’m not intimidated.

I didn’t go looking for a confrontation today.
But I will never apologize for defending my family.
I will never apologize for calling traitors exactly what they are.

And I will not be silenced by people who think the Capitol is just another stage for their extremist cosplay.

So just like I said to his face, I’ll say it again.

Ivan Raiklin, go f**k yourself.