AMAC Exclusive – By Andrew Abbott
In one of his first major moves as House Speaker, California Republican Kevin McCarthy announced late last week that he would release all security footage from January 6th – something House Democrats conspicuously refused to do over the course of their investigation. The news came as another promising sign that, after two years of Democrats using the January 6th Committee as a cudgel against their political opponents while ignoring critical information about security failures at the Capitol that day, the country might finally get an honest accounting of what happened and how it might have been prevented.
Democrats’ refusal to approach the investigation in an objective manner was laid bare in the January 6th Committee’s final report, which was released late last month. Despite clear evidence of security failures and a troubling lack of action from many in leadership positions at the Capitol, Committee Chairman Benny Thompson dismissed those factors out of hand.
Over the course of 814 pages, the report hardly touches on key facts that should have Americans concerned. For instance, the entire U.S. Capitol went through a massive multi-billion-dollar renovation from 2017 to 2019. Among the security measures implemented were reinforced windows strong enough to withstand bombs. In spite of this, the rioters easily shattered at least four windows, which made securing the building impossible. We still have no answer as to why these expensive renovations failed to stand up to a crowd of unarmed rioters.
Further, the report provides no answers as to why the massive number of security forces stationed in and around the Capitol were not deployed to prevent the rioters from entering the building. The D.C. National Guard maintains a garrison of 2,700 soldiers. The United States Capitol Police alone have more than two thousand shielded officers in their ranks. So why was the security presence so weak on a day when the January 6th Committee asserts there were dozens of warnings of “foreseeable” violence? If, as the report asserts, there was clear evidence in the days leading up to January 6th that violence could occur, why did those responsible for securing the Capitol – including then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi – not do more to prepare? What are Americans to make of troubling videos appearing to show Capitol Police removing barricades to allow rioters to move closer to the Capitol and claims that rioters were “escorted” by law enforcement into the building?
Instead of providing answers to these and many other pertinent questions, as well as recommendations for how to prevent such an event from occurring in the future, the report simply recommends that Donald Trump be barred from running for president in 2024 – making clear the Committee’s true purpose. The Committee’s failure to deliver on its stated mission is so obvious, in fact, that numerous press outlets, including Politico, the New York Times, NBC News, and others have run op-eds or short pieces noting or outright criticizing the report’s glaring deficiencies.
While in the minority, House Republicans launched their own inquiry and subsequently released their own report – albeit without the resources and subpoena power enjoyed by the majority – that provided far more insight. This minority report from the previous Congress is a good place for the GOP to start its promised investigation now that Republicans have retaken the gavel.
According to the Republican report, United States Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund requested, out of an abundance of caution, a National Guard presence on January 6th. But then-House Sergeant at Arms Paul Irving denied the request and cited “optics” as a concern. Speaker Pelosi has dismissed the notion that she would have any say in how or where the police and National Guard are deployed in the Capitol. Yet as the Republican report asserts, “The [House Sergeant at Arms] had a pattern of and practice of seeking and obtaining permission from the Speaker for all security decisions.” Moreover, “staff within the House Sergeant at Arms office emailed Paul Irving that January 6th was Pelosi’s fault.”
Republicans’ report, which was compiled by the GOP members that Pelosi refused to allow on Democrats’ committee, blames “leadership and law enforcement failures” for making the Capitol vulnerable. “Systemic issues have crippled the security apparatus for years. USCP line officers were under-trained and ill-equipped to protect the Capitol complex,” the report states. “The USCP was set up to fail, and there have been scant signs of progress toward addressing these weaknesses.”
January 6th represents a historic security failure, and raises real questions about the safety and security of every government building across the country. Americans expect a serious assessment of how these obvious shortcomings can be fixed. Instead, Democrats’ January 6th Committee gave them two years of partisanship and finger-pointing that seemingly did nothing to prevent such an event from occurring in the future. With Republicans in charge, that may finally be starting to change.
Andrew Abbott is the pen name of a writer and public affairs consultant with over a decade of experience in DC at the intersection of politics and culture.
