Federal Officials Seek Assurances Jan. 6 Capitol Riot Won’t Be Repeated
WASHINGTON — Federal officials in Washington on Wednesday discussed security improvements since the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol but made no effort to hide their lingering anger.
The Justice Department announced last week that 725 suspects have been arrested in the year since the riot. The FBI is investigating 350 more.
“If they committed a crime, they should be prosecuted,” said U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger.
He testified to the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration as it sought assurances the Capitol Police are ready for any similar domestic attacks against federal officials or buildings.
“January 6th exposed critical deficiencies with operational planning, intelligence, staffing and equipment,” Manger said. “I recognize those issues have to be addressed, and that is what we are doing.”
A Senate investigation of lapses that allowed rioters to break into the Capitol resulted in five recommendations for the Capitol Police, namely:
- More training, equipment and sufficient personnel.
- Department-wide operational planning for special events.
- Establishment of a Civil Disturbance Unit as a formal, permanent component of the Capitol Police.
- Consolidation of all Capitol Police intelligence units into a centralized intelligence bureau with adequately staffed and trained analysts.
- Updating the Incident Command System Directive to enhance communication and coordination.
While touting the improvements, Manger acknowledged shortcomings.
“The biggest challenge I have is the staffing problem,” he said.
One innovation the Capitol Police adopted was virtual training, which allows officers to train for different situations by computer. He said some of the training can be done in as little as half an hour, whereas previously it might require a full day of hands-on work.
Senators at the hearing said progress with security at the Capitol was a welcome change after the violence that left hundreds of officers injured a year ago.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who chairs the committee, recalled the tense and determined expressions she saw on faces of Capitol Police officers during the riot instigated by tough talk from former President Donald Trump as he alleged election fraud.
“This wasn’t just about doing your job, this was actually about bread and butter saving our republic,” Klobuchar said.
Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., spoke compassionately about the officers when he said, “When they leave to come to work at the Capitol, their family has no idea what they’re going to face every day.”
A short distance away in Washington, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland renewed his pledge Wednesday to hold anyone who participated in violence at the Capitol liable through criminal prosecution.
He said “there is no higher priority” for the Justice Department.
“The Justice Department remains committed to holding all Jan. 6 perpetrators, at any level, accountable under law — whether they were present that day or were otherwise criminally responsible for the assault on our democracy,” he said. “We will follow the facts wherever they lead.”
Garland’s pledges of strict law enforcement against the insurrectionists are drawing criticisms from some Democrats.
They say Garland’s broad-based prosecutions appear to be punishing some people who were present at the Capitol but were not the ones who plotted or incited the violence, including Trump and his former attorney, Rudy Giuliani.
Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., said during an interview this week with CNN that Garland’s approach to the Capitol rioters “has been extremely weak.”
“I think there should be a lot more of the organizers of Jan. 6 that should be arrested by now,” Gallego said. “This is why we need to have an active attorney general that can separate those that were doing political work from actual work helping the insurrection and/or the coup plotters.”
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