senate-holds-first-public-hearing-on-capitol-riot

Senate holds first public hearing on Capitol riot

Politics
7 min ago

The hearing is back after a short break

The Senate hearing just returned from a five-minute break. Senators will continue to question law enforcement officials about what occurred on Jan. 6, the day a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol.

The witnesses are:

32 min ago

FBI gave Capitol Police “troubling” information on the eve of Jan. 6 — but it was not delivered to leadership

From CNN’s Zachary Cohen and Jeremy Herb

Sen. Gary Peters revealed Tuesday that an FBI report containing “troubling” information was given to US Capitol Police headquarters on the eve of Jan. 6 but never made it to the department’s leadership, a breakdown the Michigan Democrat said is “clearly a major problem.” 

“How can you not get that vital intelligence on the eve of what’s going to be a major event?,” Peters asked.

Former US Capitol Police chief Steven Sund responded that it was “coming in as raw data,” though he acknowledged the information would have been helpful. 

“I agree that’s something we need to look at. What’s the process and how do we streamline?” he said.

Peters also pressed Sund to explain why more actions weren’t taken in light of a Jan. 3 internal Capitol Police intelligence report that stated the Capitol was the target of the January 6 protests.

Sund responded that the report prompted Capitol Police to discuss its plans with Metropolitan Police and expand its perimeter for the event, though he also said that the expansion was already underway.

1 hr 3 min ago

Witnesses explain how the Jan. 6 attack was coordinated

Sen. Gary Peters asks the witnesses a question during the hearing.
Sen. Gary Peters asks the witnesses a question during the hearing. Pool

Sen. Gary Peters asked the witnesses to explain why they believe that the Jan. 6 attack was coordinated.

Former Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund said that he believed there was “significant coordination” by the rioters to carry out the attack.

“One, these people came specifically with equipment. You’re bringing climbing gear to a demonstration. You’re bringing explosives. You’re bringing chemical spray, such as what Captain Mendoza had talked about. You’re coming prepared.”

He said that he believes the insurrectionists planted bombs nearby to draw police resources away from the Capitol.

“The fact that the group that attacked our west front, attacked our west front… approximately 20 minute before the event over at the Ellipse ended, which means they were planning on our agency not being at what they call full strength…And then also the fact that we’re dealing with two pipe bombs that were specifically, you know, set off the edge of our perimeter to, what I suspect, draw resources away. I think there was a significant coordination with this attack.” 

Robert Contee, acting chief of the DC Metropolitan Police, echoed Sund’s opinion that the attack was coordinated.

“My view is from the day of the incident. I think there were hand signals that were being used by several of the insurrectionists,” he said. “There were radio communication by several individuals that were involved … I certainly believe it was coordinated.”

1 hr 14 min ago

Former Capitol Police chief on delay in asking National Guard for help: “It’s just a process that is in place”

Andrew Harnik/Pool/AP
Andrew Harnik/Pool/AP

Former US Capitol Police chief Steven Sund testified that he could not ask for help from the National Guard as rioters stormed the Capitol without a emergency declaration from the Capitol Police Board — something that also stops him from being able to “give my men and women cold water on an excessively hot day.”

Sen. Amy Klobuchar noted that written Sund’s testimony described how he could not ask for help from the National Guard without the declaration.

“Mr. Sund, your written testimony states that you had no authority to request the assistance of the National Guard without an emergency declaration of the Capitol Police Board. On what rule, regulation or authority did you base that view?” she asked.

Here’s how he responded:

“I’d have to go back and look at the specific rule, but it’s a standard — it’s a standing rule that we have. I cannot request the National Guard without a declaration of emergency from the Capitol Police Board. It’s kind of interesting because it’s very similar to the fact that I can’t even give my men and women cold water on an excessively hot day without declaration of emergency. 

“It’s just a process that is in place,” he added.

1 hr 18 min ago

White supremacists were involved in Capitol attack, officials testify 

From CNN’s Marshall Cohen 

Top Capitol security officials said White supremacists were involved in the Jan. 6 insurrection. 

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat from Minnesota, asked the officials, “Would you agree that this attack involved white supremacists and extremist groups?”

All the officials who were testifying answered “yes.”

The officials are former US Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund, former House Sergeant at Arms Paul Irving, former Senate Sergeant at Arms Michael Stenger, and DC Metropolitan Police Acting Chief Robert Contee.

CNN has previously reported on the presence of far-right extremists, anti-government militants, and white nationalist groups among the mob of pro-Trump rioters that stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6. One of the rioters went viral for his “Camp Auschwitz” sweatshirt that referenced the Nazi-era concentration camp. 

In recent weeks, some right-wing figures have downplayed or denied the role of racist groups in the attack. For instance, Fox News host Tucker Carlson said on his show Monday night, “There is no evidence that white supremacists were responsible for what happened on January 6. That’s a lie.”

28 min ago

Former Capitol Police Chief says Jan. 6 breach did not happen due to “poor planning” from his agency

Former US Capitol police chief Steven Sund testifies on Tuesday.
Former US Capitol police chief Steven Sund testifies on Tuesday. Erin Scott/Pool/AFP/Getty Images

Former US Capitol police chief Steven Sund pushed back on the suggestion that USCP was not prepared for the events of January 6.

“A clear lack of accurate and complete intelligence across several federal agencies contributed to this event and not poor planning by the United States Capitol Police,” Sund said today during a Senate hearing on the Capitol attack.

He continued: “Based on the intelligence that we received, we planned for increased level of violence at the Capitol and that some participants may be armed, but none of the intelligence that we received predicted what actually occurred.”

“We properly planned for a mass demonstration with possible violence, what we got was a military-style coordinated assault on my officers and a violent takeover of the Capitol building,” Sund said.

Sund noted that because of a lack of intelligence, the police were “outnumbered” by the mob. He thanked and praised the work of his colleagues on that day.

“I want to again recognize the heroic efforts of the Capitol police officers who on January 6th outnumbered and against the odds successfully carried out their mission to protect the members of Congress and the legislative process. I couldn’t have been more proud to be part of their team,” Sund said.

 Watch:

1 hr 24 min ago

Former Capitol Police Chief says Jan. 6 rioters “came prepared for war”

Steven Sund is sworn in on Tuesday.
Steven Sund is sworn in on Tuesday. Pool

Former chief of the US Capitol Police, Steven Sund, called the rioters “criminals” and said they “came prepared for war” during the Jan. 6 attack.

In his prepared opening statement during a Senate hearing on the Capitol riots, Sund said that the events of Jan. 6 were “the worst attack on law enforcement” that he has seen during his nearly 30 year career.

“I have been in policing for almost 30 years, and in that time I have been involved in a number of critical incidents, and responded to a number of horrific scenes. The events on January 6, 2021, constituted the worst attack on law enforcement that I have seen in my entire career. This was an attack that we are learning was pre-planned, and involved participants from a number of states who came well equipped, coordinated, and prepared to carry out a violent insurrection at the United States Capitol,” he said in prepared remarks.

Sund said that he witnessed the rioters beating officers with “fists, pipes, sticks, bats, metal barricades, and flag poles.”

“These criminals came prepared for war,” he said. “They came with their own radio system to coordinate the attack, as well as climbing gear and other equipment to defeat the Capitol’s security features,” he continued.

“I’m sickened by what I witnessed that day,” Sund said in his opening testimony.

 Watch:

1 hr 30 min ago

DC police chief: Pentagon was “reluctant” to send troops to defend Capitol

From CNN’s Marshall Cohen 

Pool
Pool

The acting chief of the DC police department planned to tell lawmakers today that the Pentagon was “reluctant to send the DC national guard to the Capitol” during the Jan. 6 insurrection. 

In prepared testimony, Acting Chief Robert Contee III described a phone call shortly after the Capitol was breached by pro-Trump rioters, and how Pentagon officials were apparently unable or unwilling to quickly send in National Guard troops. 

“I was stunned at the response from Department of the Army, which was reluctant to send the DC National Guard to the Capitol,” Contee said in his prepared remarks.

“While I certainly understand the importance of both planning and public perception – the factors cited by the staff on the call – these issues become secondary when you are watching your employees, vastly outnumbered by a mob, being physically assaulted.” 

He continued: “I was able to quickly deploy (DC police) and issue directives to them while they were in the field, and I was honestly shocked that the National Guard could not – or would not – do the same.”

1 hr 37 min ago

Capitol Police Captain said officers held the door closed as Jan. 6 rioters tried to get into the building

Captain Carneysha Mendoza, US Capitol Police, told Senate committees that after police cleared the rotunda of the building, officers had to physically hold the door to the Capitol closed as rioters continued to try to get into the building.

“After a couple of hours officers cleared the rotunda but had to hold the door closed because it had been broken by the rioters,” Mendoza said. 

She continued: “Officers begged me for relief as they were unsure how long they could physically hold the door closed with the crowd continually banging on the outside of the door, attempting to gain reentry. Eventually officers were able to secure the door with furniture and other objects.”

 Watch: