On Tuesday (Jan. 26), the newly appointed chief of the U.S. Capitol Police told members of Congress that the Capitol Police Department was not adequately prepared for the Jan. 6 action. Protesters stormed the Capitol during a joint session of the House and Senate.
Acting Chief Yogananda Pittman told members of Congress at a closed-door briefing that the incident earlier this month was “a violent attack on Congress by tens of thousands of protesters determined to prevent the certification of votes for the Electoral College.
Around the same Time, federal law enforcement told reporters in a telephone interview that it had not been determined how many people broke into the Capitol on Jan. 6.
In a prepared summary released to the media by the House Appropriations Committee, Pittman said that while the U.S. Capitol Police fulfilled its mission to protect members of Congress, it “failed to immediately secure the Capitol, which emboldened the violent and terrified This emboldens the violent and frightens millions of Americans.”
Pittman expressed her department’s “sincerest apologies” for this. She added that the CIA “should have been better prepared” for the attack. She claimed that officials knew on Jan. 4 that both militia groups and white supremacist groups would attend the rally, and that some planned to bring guns and other weapons.
“We knew the potential for violence was high, and Congress was the target,” she said.
Pittman told members of Congress that the U.S. Capitol Police did make some preparations, increasing the number of officers working that day and activating SWAT teams, but still didn’t do enough. She estimated the number of employees working on the scene at more than 1,200, but said they were “no match for the protesters.
She said, “In my experience, I don’t think preparations were made to both allow legitimate protesters to exercise their First Amendment right to free speech in an open area and to prevent the attacks that occurred in the capital that day.”
Improvements made by the Capitol Police so far include providing additional training, working to improve communication with other agencies, and holding daily internal intelligence briefings.
In a statement after the briefing, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Rosa DeLauro, a Connecticut Democrat, said government agencies “failed to perform their most basic duties” on Jan. 6.
It is now clear that intelligence agencies had ample evidence that an angry mob would attack Washington, D.C., and that Congress, which was meeting to certify the presidential election results, was the intended target,” she said. The law enforcement agencies charged with protecting the Capitol failed to act on this intelligence and were not adequately prepared for the imminent threat.”
DeLauro added that the committee will continue to seek answers and monitor changes at those agencies.
Pittman was promoted to acting director on Jan. 11 after former director Steven Sund announced his resignation. Pittman said the Justice Department has been actively reviewing videos and other materials that show that some U.S. Capitol Police officers have violated regulations and policies, and several have been suspended.
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