Hey, everybody, I just want to say thank you once again.

Here we are three years into the Lincoln project.

We would not be here without you.

We cannot say thank you enough for all of your help, all of your support, and even just listening.

Share this podcast with your friends.

You'll never find a better place to understand the fight we're in, the kinds of people we're fighting alongside.

And the information you need to understand just what's going on out there when sometimes you're scratching your head.

Gang, we start year four today, and I hope that you'll stay with us in year four, in year five, and as long as it takes to win this battle for democracy.

And now on with the show.

Welcome back to the Lincoln project.

I'm your host, Reed Gaillet.

Today, I'm joined by Michael Phenop, former Metropolitan Police Department officer, where he served for 20 years.

Over the course of those two decades, he first briefly served as a patrol officer before spending the majority of his career as a vice investigator in various small mission units, where he participated in over 2000 arrests for violent crimes and narcotics trafficking, and served as a special task force officer for the FBI, ATF, and the DEA, and earn more than three dozen commendations for his work.

Mike came to national attention for his service in bravery during the January 6th attack on the United States Capitol, and his new book, Hold the Line, tells the story of that day, but I think also much more than I want to get into, and is available wherever find books are sold.

He currently serves as a law enforcement analyst for CNN, is a security consultant, and a firearms instructor.

Today he's coming to us from Washington, DC. Mike, welcome to the show.

Yeah, thank you for having me.

So Mike, before we get started on the book or anything else, I have to ask, what is your favorite Sturgel Simpson song?

Hmm, I mean, it changes from day to day, but right now, Mark Curie and Retro grade is resonating with me, particularly.

So you mentioned Sturgel just pages into the book, and I'm a huge fan and you're lucky enough to have gotten a meet-in, which I'm also very jealous of.

But Sturgel was my soundtrack as I read your book and not a bad one on the bunch. So Mike, I want to talk about obviously your career as a law enforcement officer, because I think aside from your role in, you know, January 6th, where you were that day, I think also, you know, the first third of the book is really about your experiences as a street cop in Washington, DC.

A place that has a pretty good reputation for violence, drugs, all that. So tell us a little bit about, you know, you work different jobs and then worked at the Capitol as a Capitol Police Officer before you went to the MPD.

...