Jan. 6 witnesses to be NBC guests at media dinner

WE HEAR: A pair of Capitol workers who gave vivid accounts of their experiences during the Jan. 6 riot will join lawmakers and some of NBC News’s top talent at a high-profile media dinner in Washington.

Capitol food service worker Dion Montague and Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn will be among the guests of NBCUniversal News Group at Wednesday night’s Radio & Television Correspondents’ Association (RTCA) dinner.

A Capitol cafeteria worker, Montague hid in a staff area when supporters of then-President Trump breached the building just days ahead of the presidential inauguration last year.  

Dunn defended the Capitol that day, comparing the mob that stormed the Capitol to a hit man, in remarks before the House select committee investigating Jan. 6.

Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), along with top staffers from GOP offices, are also expected to attend as guests of NBCUniversal News Group, a source tells ITK. “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd, Andrea Mitchell, Symone Sanders, Garrett Haake, Yamiche Alcindor, Leigh Ann Caldwell, Shannon Pettypiece, Jonathan Capehart, Ali Vitali and more than 100 journalists are also on the dinner’s guest list for NBC.

The annual RTCA dinner — which honors journalism both in the United States and abroad — is one of the first major social events in the nation’s capital making its return following a two-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Updated at 1 p.m.