Why is Sean Penn at the hearings? Oscar winner spotted in front row seat at Jan 6 hearing on Capitol Hill

On Thursday, June 23, Sean Penn was spotted at the fifth hearing of the January 6 committee on Capitol Hill. The actor was photographed sitting in the front row next to former Capitol Police officer Michael Fanone and D.C. Metropolitan Police Officer Daniel Hodges.

Officer Fanone reportedly resigned from his position after being attacked by a mob at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Officer Hodges, on the other hand, was crushed in the door by U.S. Capitol rioters on the same day. Both officers previously testified during the trial.

As per Esquire, Thursday’s hearing was initially scheduled for Wednesday, June 22, but was postponed due to technical difficulties. It also marked the final meeting of the January 6 committee for the month of June.

Committee chairperson Bennie Thompson announced that more hearings will be organized after the Congress’ recess ends on July 4, and more reception evidence will also come to light.

As Sean Penn’s presence at Thursday’s hearing left people surprised, the actor said that he was attending the session as a general "citizen."

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Sean Penn reveals the reason for his presence at the Jan 6 committee hearing

Sean Penn revealed he attended Jan 6 hearing as a "citizen" (Image via Getty Images)

Sean Penn found himself on the Twitter trending page shortly after people spotted him at the January 6 committee hearing on Thursday, June 23. Speaking to CNN's Anna Grayer, the actor revealed that he attended the session to “observe” the proceedings as an American citizen:

“I’m just here to observe — just another citizen. I think we all saw what happened on January 6, and now we’re looking to see if justice comes on the other side of it.”

As Penn’s photographs from the January 6 hearing surfaced online, some social media users compared him to actress Alyssa Milano who went to the U.S. Capitol in 2018 to attend a hearing shortly before the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

Milano was reportedly in the audience during Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony where she presented her assault allegations against Kavanaugh. At the time, Milano told CNN that she attended the hearing in solidarity with Dr. Ford and all the other victims of “crazy abuses of power”:

“It was a very hard day to be in that room, but I was proud to be a woman and I was proud to be a survivor, and I felt like I needed to be there for other survivors that couldn't be there.”

Sean Penn is already known as one of the most politically-conscious stars and activists in Hollywood. Last year, he took to Twitter to condemn the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, and also called out former POTUS Donald Trump for his alleged involvement in the situation.

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Recent updates about Sean Penn

Prior to his latest sighting at the Jan 6 hearing, the Oscar-winner made news for traveling to Ukraine to film a documentary on the Russia-Ukraine crisis. On February 28, Penn tweeted that he walked several miles to reach the Polish border with two of his colleagues after abandoning their car.

The actor continued his campaign to help Ukraine for several months and even met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy the night before Russian troops entered the country. He also decided to provide the necessary humanitarian aid to the country with the help of his organization, Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE).

Similarly, Sean Penn visited earthquake-stricken Haiti in 2010 to film a documentary and facilitate charitable and humanitarian work in the country. Back in 2015, the actor even met with Mexican drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzman Loera to interview him for Rolling Stone magazine.