Harry Dunn, Capitol Police officer on Jan. 6, announces run for Congress

Harry Dunn, who struggled to defend the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and has been one of the most outspoken members of law enforcement to condemn the attack, announced Friday that he is running for Congress.

Dunn, who resigned as a Capitol Police officer last month, said he is running as a Democrat to represent Maryland's 3rd Congressional District, which includes several Maryland counties outside Baltimore. He is running to replace Democrat Rep. John Sarbanes, who is not seeking reelection.

Friday morning on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," Dunn said he wants to "fight back and be able to push back against the people in Congress right now that I spent the last 15 years of my life protecting. And I want to serve as their equal, as their colleague I want a voice at the table."

Dunn said it's interesting where Jan. 6 has taken both the nation -- and him personally.

"What better way to continue fighting for the people of Maryland, for the people of the United States and to continue to defend democracy because I think on Jan 6 it exposed … how weak and fragile it is," Dunn said on "Morning Joe."

Dunn, who delivered memorable testimony before the House Jan. 6 committee, recalled the horrors of the day in an exclusive interview with ABC News Chief Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas.

"'I got called a [N-word] a couple dozen times today protecting this building,'" Dunn recalled telling an officer colleague. "Is this America? They beat police officers with Blue Lives Matter flags. They fought us, they had Confederate flags in the U.S. Capitol."

Dunn, who joined the Capitol Police in 2008, called the pro-Trump rioters on Jan. 6 "terrorists."

"They tried to disrupt this country's democracy -- that was their goal ... And you know what? Y'all failed because later that night, they went on and they certified the election," Dunn told Thomas.

Dunn said he suffers from PTSD from the events of Jan. 6, and that the insurrection is never far from his mind.

Dunn told Thomas that former President Donald Trump needs to be held responsible for the events of Jan. 6.

"I believe he should be held accountable for his actions or inactions of that day," he said.

Dunn wrote a book released last year about his experiences on Jan. 6 as well as his "fight for accountability."