<div class="css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn" data-testid="companionColumn-0"><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-ac37hb evys1bk0">The phone call on that Thursday afternoon brought an emphatic demand: Report to the C.I.A. office immediately.</p><p class="css-ac37hb evys1bk0">Shauni Kerkhoff had been with the agency for four years and would have normally been at work then. But her schedule had been altered during the government shutdown, so she was enjoying a day off, curled up in her living room, the dogs nearby.</p><p class="css-ac37hb evys1bk0">It did not cross Ms. Kerkhoff’s mind to decline or demand more information from her supervisor. She had made it a habit to be professional and upbeat, having chosen law enforcement because she believed she could be helpful to the community.</p></div><aside aria-label="companion column" class="css-ew4tgv"></aside></div><div data-testid="Dropzone-1"></div><div class="css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn" data-testid="companionColumn-1"><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-ac37hb evys1bk0">At 31 years old, her enthusiasm for her career had already been tested, and in an unimaginable way. Her first job in the D.C. area was as a Capitol Police officer, and she had faced off against the mob of rioters on Jan. 6, 2021.</p></div><aside aria-label="companion column" class="css-ew4tgv"></aside></div><div data-testid="ImageBlock-3"><div data-testid="imageblock-wrapper"><figure aria-label="media" class="img-sz-medium css-d754w4 e1g7ppur0" role="group"><div class="css-1xdhyk6 erfvjey0" data-testid="photoviewer-children-figure"><span class="kyt-mdd4r">Image</span><picture><source media="(max-width: 599px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 3),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 3dppx),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 288dpi)" srcset="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/04/22/multimedia/22nat-kerkhoff-4-wqvf/22nat-kerkhoff-4-wqvf-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale&amp;width=1800"/><source media="(max-width: 599px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 2),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 2dppx),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 192dpi)" srcset="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/04/22/multimedia/22nat-kerkhoff-4-wqvf/22nat-kerkhoff-4-wqvf-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale&amp;width=1200"/><source media="(max-width: 599px) and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 1),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 1dppx),(max-width: 599px) and (min-resolution: 96dpi)" srcset="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/04/22/multimedia/22nat-kerkhoff-4-wqvf/22nat-kerkhoff-4-wqvf-mobileMasterAt3x.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale&amp;width=600"/><img alt="A female police officer stands in uniform with the Washington Monument in the distance." class="css-r3fift" decoding="async" height="450" sizes="((min-width: 600px) and (max-width: 1004px)) 84vw, (min-width: 1005px) 60vw, 100vw" src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/04/22/multimedia/22nat-kerkhoff-4-wqvf/22nat-kerkhoff-4-wqvf-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale" srcset="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/04/22/multimedia/22nat-kerkhoff-4-wqvf/22nat-kerkhoff-4-wqvf-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp 600w,https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/04/22/multimedia/22nat-kerkhoff-4-wqvf/22nat-kerkhoff-4-wqvf-jumbo.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp 1024w,https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/04/22/multimedia/22nat-kerkhoff-4-wqvf/22nat-kerkhoff-4-wqvf-superJumbo.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp 2048w" uri="nyt://image/aadfe74b-8e4b-5b70-9992-b035cdd6d306" width="600"/></picture></div><figcaption class="css-gbc9ki ewdxa0s0" data-testid="photoviewer-children-caption"><span class="css-jevhma e13ogyst0">Shauni Kerkhoff joined the Capitol Police in 2017.</span><span class="css-iwa86d e1z0qqy90"><span class="kyt-mdd4r">Credit...</span><span><span aria-hidden="false">Shauni Kerkhoff</span></span></span></figcaption></figure></div></div><div class="css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn" data-testid="companionColumn-2"><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-ac37hb evys1bk0">She relived the insurrection while working with federal prosecutors and testifying in two criminal trials — and then watched those convictions unravel when President Trump pardoned hundreds of the day’s participants.</p><div class="css-kbghgg"><div class="css-121kum4"><div class="css-171d1bw"></div><div class="css-asuuk5"><noscript><div class="css-7axq9l" data-testid="optimistic-truncator-noscript"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="css-1b5b8u1" data-tpl="i" height="24" viewbox="0 0 24 24" width="24"><path clip-rule="evenodd" d="M2.5 12a9.5 9.5 0 1 1 19 0 9.5 9.5 0 0 1-19 0Zm8.5 1.75v-7.5h2v7.5h-2Zm0 2v2h2v-2h-2Z" fill="currentColor" fill-rule="evenodd"></path></svg><div class="css-6yo1no" data-testid="optimistic-truncator-noscript-message"><p class="css-3kpklk" data-tpl="t">We are having trouble retrieving the article content.</p><p class="css-3kpklk" data-tpl="t">Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.</p></div></div></noscript><div class="css-1dv1kvn" id="optimistic-truncator-a11y" tabindex="-1"><hr/><p>Thank you for your patience while we verify access. 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