The Senate Rules and Administration and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committees have concluded a monthslong investigation of U.S. Capitol Police. In a summary of findings published this week, the bipartisan probe revealed the breakdowns in planning, intelligence, and security that preceded and coincided with the January 6 riots.
The politically-charged accusation that President Donald Trump “incited” the riot with his speech beforehand was beyond the scope of the investigation. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) told reporters, “This report is not a comprehensive account of everything that happened in the lead up to and during the attack.”
A key finding of the report: The Capitol Police Chief is required to get approval first from the Capitol Police Board, before calling the U.S. National Guard for assistance, even for an “emergency.”
Bottom Line: The January 6 Trump rally and protest of November election results suddenly erupted into a riot on U.S. Capitol grounds. During the riot, a Capitol Police officer shot and killed one of the rioters, 35-year-old Air Force veteran, Ashli Babbitt, as she attempted to climb through a shattered window. During and after the riot other protestors and officers died by trampling, heart attacks, and strokes.
