A new report from two Senate committees investigating the January 6th riots has a clear conclusion: the intelligence community had ample evidence that an attack on the Capitol was forthcoming but they failed to warn law enforcement officials on the ground.
“Despite online calls for violence at the Capitol, neither the FBI nor DHS issued a threat assessment or intelligence bulletin warning law enforcement entities in the National Capital Region of the potential for violence,” reads the executive summary.
The report – 127 pages long and over three months in the making – asserts that by early January, the U.S. intelligence community knew there were plans to “storm the Capitol” with guns. Yet, they failed to adequately prepare for the impending violence.
Likewise, the United Stated Capitol Police had received intelligence that Trump supporters were traveling to Washington D.C. for “war.” But they didn’t develop a comprehensive plan or outfit their personnel with the proper equipment. In fact, much of the USCP staff was not properly trained to respond to riots or to use riot gear.
Once the attack started, the report says, military leaders wasted precious time “mission planning” and were further delayed by seeking bureaucratic approvals.
“The failures are obvious,” said Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) who is chairwoman of the Rules and Administration Committee, which contributed to the report. “To me, it was all summed up by one of the officers who was heard on the radio that day asking a tragically simple question: ‘Does anybody have a plan?’ Sadly, no one did.”
The report was informed by interviews and congressional testimony from senior military leaders, police brass, and those tasked with protecting the Capitol. Fifty members of the Capitol Police contributed statements. They describe a brutal scene. From The Associated Press:
The report details how officers on the front lines suffered chemical burns, brain injuries and broken bones, among other injuries, after fighting the rioters, who quickly overwhelmed them and broke into the building. Officers told the Senate investigators that they were left with no leadership or direction when command systems broke down.
In a statement, the Capitol Police acknowledged shortcomings, but insisted, “neither the U.S.C.P., nor the F.B.I., U.S. Secret Service, Metropolitan Police or our other law enforcement partners knew thousands of rioters were planning to attack the U.S. Capitol. The known intelligence simply didn’t support that conclusion.”
The report – pursued in a bipartisan manner – outlines 20 recommendations, including increased police training, streamlined intelligence gathering and distribution, and new authority for the head of the Capitol Police. A new law has been proposed to empower the Capitol Police chief to unilaterally summon the National Guard in emergencies. However, the report stops short of calling the events of January 6 an “insurrection.” It also largely avoids delving into then-President Donald Trump’s role in the chaos.
“This report is important in that it allows us to make some immediate improvements, but it does not answer some of the bigger questions that we need to face, quite frankly, as a country and a democracy,” said Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI). Peters is the chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which spearheaded the investigation.
Republicans have blocked a 9/11-style commission to study January 6th’s root causes.