Oscar winner Sean Penn attends Jan. 6 hearing on Capitol Hill - Los Angeles Times
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Oscar winner Sean Penn attends Jan. 6 hearing on Capitol Hill

Sean Penn, wearing a suit, looks into the distance.
Actor Sean Penn attends the Jan. 6 hearings at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Thursday.
(Jacquelyn Martin / Associated Press)
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Oscar-winner Sean Penn attended the fifth day of Jan. 6 committee hearings on Capitol Hill on Thursday.

The outspoken “Milk” and “Mystic River” Academy Award winner sat with officers who defended the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack by supporters of former President Trump in an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

The House select committee has moved into its second week of hearings as it reveals the findings of its yearlong investigation of the insurrection.

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A series of congressional hearings about the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol have been televised. Here’s what you need to know.

Dec. 15, 2022

Penn, 61, was seated next to former Washington Metropolitan Police Department Officer Daniel Hodges and former D.C. police officer and CNN contributor Michael Fanone.

“I’m just here to observe just [as a] another citizen,” he told reporters, according to CNN.

“I think we all saw what happened on Jan. 6 and now we’re looking to see if justice comes on the other side of it,” he added, noting that he had been following the hearings.

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Sean Penn and an officer in police uniform listen.
Actor Sean Penn and Washington Metropolitan Police Department Officer Daniel Hodges listen to the House select committee hearings into the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
(Jacquelyn Martin / Associated Press)

The hearings have been compared to the Watergate scandal, so it should be noted that Penn starred as former President Nixon’s attorney general, John Mitchell, in the new Starz series “Gaslit.”

In an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, actor Sean Penn opens up about his experience documenting the war in Ukraine.

April 6, 2022

Earlier this week, Penn was among the A-list celebrities that Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense thanked in a tweet for visiting the war-torn nation five months into Russian’s invasion. Penn had even lobbied to have Ukraine president and former actor Volodymyr Zelensky appear at this year’s Academy Awards to bring more attention to Russia’s attack on the nation.

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“[Ukraine] is grateful to Hollywood stars who, despite the danger, have visited us. @SeanPenn, @LievSchreiber, Angelina Jolie, @BenStiller you are more than just an inspiration to all of us. Millions around the world have heard the truth from you about the struggle of the [Ukrainian] people,” the tweet said.

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