GOP lawmakers accused of giving tours

WASHINGTON» Democratic members of Congress on Wednesday accused unnamed Republicans of giving tours of the Capitol to insurrectionists before last week’s deadly siege of the Capitol, as federal agencies opened two new investigations into the extent to which Capitol Police and some lawmakers were complicit in the mob attack.

The inspector general of the

Capitol Police is opening a potentially wide-ranging investigation into security breaches connected to the siege that could determine the extent to which some Capitol Police officers were involved, according to a senior congressional aide with direct knowledge of the investigation. The inspector general will suspend all other projects until the investigation is complete, the aide said.

Three officers have been suspended, and 17 others are under investigation by the force’s Office of

Professional Responsibility.

The Government Accountability Office, a nonpartisan federal watchdog agency, also signaled it will open an investigation that will include the roles that members of Congress may have played in inciting the mob seeking to overturn the results of the election, according to the congressman who requested the inquiry, Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo.

Crow, whose request letter was signed by 107 of his colleagues, said Wednesday that he has been informed the investigation is underway. The tours on the eve of the riot came to light after Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., said Tuesday night on Facebook without offering evidence that she knew of members of Congress who gave “reconnaissance” tours to rioters before the attack.

On Wednesday, about 30 lawmakers joined Sherrill in requesting an investigation from the acting House and Senate sergeantsat-arms and the Capitol Police into what Sherrill called “suspicious behavior” and access given to visitors to the Capitol complex the day before the riot.

Pressure is mounting on the Republican members of Congress who associated themselves with far-right extremist groups in the days leading up to the mob attack. Several of President Donald Trump’s most ardent supporters — including Reps. Mo Brooks of Alabama and Paul Gosar and Andy Biggs, both of Arizona — have been accused of helping plan the Jan. 6 rally.