Thousands of Donald Trump supporters storm the United States Capitol building on Jan. 6.
Despite days of widespread incitement on social media in advance of the insurrection encouraging extremist Trump supporters to assault the U.S. Capitol, law enforcement was unprepared and overwhelmed.
The Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol was a security failure, an intelligence failure or both.
How could security forces in the nation s capital be so swiftly and completely overwhelmed by rioters who stated their plans openly on a range of social media sites? President Trump had even tweeted on Dec. 19: Big protest in D.C. on January 6th. Be there, will be wild!
Updated Feb. 23
The Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol was a security failure, an intelligence failure or both.
How could security forces in the nation s capital be so swiftly and completely overwhelmed by rioters who stated their plans openly on a range of social media sites? President Trump had even tweeted on Dec. 19: Big protest in D.C. on January 6th. Be there, will be wild!
Washington, D.C., is known for its multitude of law enforcement agencies a fact reflected in the agencies involved in security on Jan. 6. The Metropolitan Police Department has jurisdiction on city streets; the U.S. Park Police on the Ellipse, where Trump s rally took place; the U.S.
Local and congressional police accuse the Defense Department of not sending in the Guard in fast enough, but the Pentagon says they didn’t request sufficient Guard help in advance.
The Defense Department is facing scrutiny over its role in the events at the Capitol last week, after the District of Columbia government and Capitol Police accused Pentagon officials of slow-walking an emergency call for National Guard reinforcements as rioters threatened to breach the building.
By PAUL SONNE, MISSY RYAN | The Washington Post | Published: January 11, 2021 WASHINGTON The Defense Department is facing scrutiny over its role in the events at the Capitol last week, after the District of Columbia government and Capitol Police accused Pentagon officials of slow-walking an emergency call for National Guard reinforcements as rioters threatened to breach the building. The search for answers about why the security breakdown took place, leaving the Capitol all but defenseless against pro-Trump rioters, has taken on increased urgency as Washington prepares for the Jan. 20 inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and possible new threats from extremists trying to keep President Donald Trump in office despite his loss.