A CAPITOL FAILURE
“Congress itself is the target on the 6th.” That explicit warning was delivered to the Capitol Police by the agency’s own intelligence unit just three days before the Capitol insurrection by a mob of pro-Trump supporters. Others also raised the alarm: The Department of Homeland Security told police that it had found a map of the Capitol complex’s tunnel system posted on a proTrump message board, and the FBI’s Norfolk field office relayed concerns about potential violence.
In the face of those clear warnings, here is what the Capitol Police leadership did: Ordered the civil disturbance unit that handles large crowds and protests not to use some of its most powerful crowd-control tools. Equipped rank and file officers with protective shields that shattered upon impact because they had been improperly stored. Relied on outdated duty rosters that resulted in too few officers being deployed.
Ever since the Capitol was overrun 100 days ago — the most violent attack in over two centuries at the heart of U.S. democracy, an attack that interrupted Congress from its constitutional duties and led to five deaths, including that of a Capitol Police officer — it has been glaringly obvious that the Capitol Police had not made adequate preparations or plans. But the extent of the problems — just how deep is the rot — has only now been laid bare in a damning report by Capitol Police Inspector General Michael Bolton. The 104-page report, which has been reviewed by various news organizations, paints a devastating picture of an agency out of touch with its mission and in need of massive overhaul.
Testifying Thursday before the House Administration Committee, Bolton and lawmakers were careful to distinguish between the men and women who acted so bravely on Jan. 6 and the leadership command that sent them woefully unprepared into battle. The three security officials in charge on Jan. 6 — the police chief and the House and Senate sergeants-at-arms — were forced to resign in disgrace. In their testimony to Congress, they tried to deflect responsibility for the intelligence failures, pointing the finger at other agencies.
The inspector general makes a series of recommendations that include strengthening the agency’s intelligence capabilities, improving training and changing a culture to become more proactive. Bolton told the committee he has made recommendations in the past that haven’t been implemented. It is crucial that this report not go on a shelf somewhere but be used to spur changes — and soon. “January 6 was just absolutely unimaginable,” said Rep. G.K. Butterfeld, D-North Carolina “And it can absolutely never, ever, ever happen again.”