Live once the witnesses Start Talking and have a report coming up in just a moment. Were also following some Breaking News overseas. President biden now briefed and monitoring that attack on an Iraqi Military base hosting american soldiers. What we know about who is responsible. That provocation another challenge for the president as he makes a Surprise Announcement on the one here at home, promising enough Vaccine Supply for every american months earlier than expected. We will talk about why some states are not waiting to start rolling back their restrictions. Our live report from texas coming up. We have a lot to get to in the next few minutes, im Hallie Jackson in washington with nbcs Garrett Haake on capitol hill and New York Times reporter zolan is with us as well. Garrett, talk about what we can expect to hear today and what we are hearing from some of those Witness Statements that have been released in the last couple of minutes. Reporter thats right. So remember last weeks hearing there was a lot of talk about this intelligence product that was not fully vetted up the chain of the Capitol Police before the day of the attack and also the discussion about why it took the National Guard so long to respond on that day. We will get a set of answers, perhaps not the definitive once to both of those questions today. This committee has obtained this Intelligence Report from the fbi office in norfolk that produced it, although we dont expect it to be released today we know that senators can use it to shape their questions to their Witnesses Today including officials from the department of Homeland Security and from the fbi. On the National Guard timeline front there is already conflict within the written statements of some of the Witnesses Today. One of the witnesses representing the Department Of Defense gives one timeline for when the National Guards arrival was approved, the witness to the commanding general of the d. C. National guard gives a different timeline for when they were finally ordered and approved to go to the capitol. Expect to see senators anything dig in on both of these points. It will be crucial and there will be hopefully some receipts provided on two key questions about what was known before and why the delay existed afterwards. Garrett, stand by. Zolan, what do you expect to hear today about this discrepancy garrett is talking about. Of the Opening Statement for the individual testifying for the Department Of Defense says approval was given at 4 32 p. M. To send in the National Guard, d. C. National guard says they didnt get it until almost 5 10 p. M. And this follows up with a discrepancy that we heard at the previous hearing as well. You know, you had the chief of the Capitol Police saying that there was a delay in his request to have additional Security Personnel come to the capitol, one of the sergeantsatarms who he would send that request to tag actually that there was not that long of a delay. So we are looking for some consistency here and we should your viewers should expect when the committee to really hone in on that. I also expect that part of this hearing will be on looking a bit forward. Based off some of the prepared remarks it also seems like some officials are emphasizing that the threats similar to what we saw in the capitol have not relented. That members of congress continue to face some of these threats from these actors. The department of Homeland Security which will have officials testifying today also put out a report last month saying that individuals continue to be emboldened by false statements about the election, commit acts of violence. So we should expect to hear some answers on where this kind of domestic extremist threat is going looking forward as well. You talk about the idea of where this goes and i should note for folks at home on the left side of your screen you are seeing that live look inside the hearing room. We understand that Committee Chair senator peters has just begun Opening Statements. Four senators will give Opening Statements then you will see the Witness Statements and at that point we are going to given im in because its important for you to hear what the witnesses have to say. When you talk, zolan, about where this goes you have the acting Capitol Police sergeant testifying, but she is putting numbers behind what she describes as the increased number of threats to members. She says in the first couple of months of 2021 there was a 93. 5 increase in threats to members of congress and over the last three years Something Like 119 almost increase in total threats with most of the suspects residing outside of the National Capitol region. Do you expect that to be an issue that comes up today and moving forward as lawmakers and leaders in the city assess what happened on january 6th . Certainly. Right there at this hearing that youre about to go to soon youre going to have some of the officials that are responsible for sharing Accurate Information about these kinds of threats and about the rise in trends in these kinds of threats. And lets remember as well the department of Homeland Security, the Office Of Intelligence And Analysis which will have officials there, theyre responsible for making sure that all of these different federal agencies are on the about these rising threats and they were criticized and accused offed of Delaying Warnings for some of the extremist threats like what we saw that day. I suspect that you will see sanders press on that issue and press on whats going to change to prevent Something Like this from happening again. Garrett, zolan referenced something about the idea of false claims, perpetuating the potential for more extremism and concerns over security at the capitol. That comes as this morning we are now hearing for the first time interest former Vice President mike pence who as we all know was under attack that day, who was in the Capitol Building on the 6th. He is out with an oped and questioning the integrity of the 2020 election, putting out there in some instances mz leading claims about what happened. This is a really interesting oped. The former Vice President talks about irregularities in the election, basically essentially, you know, states not following their own rules, a lot of the same things that we were hearing from the former president in the lead up to the attack on the capitol. Pence makes passing reference to the fact that he was here and that he wanted these one of the tragedies he says of that day was that the electoral arguments of those who were objecting to the count didnt get to be played out. Of course, we heard from Christopher Wray yesterday that there were no widespread voter fraud, there was no voter fraud issues that the fbi could find that would have affected the outcome of the election. The move from pence is interesting, it comes on the day that the house is set to vote on its for the people act, a widespread voting rights, Voting Issue Overhaul Bill that republicans have by and large imposed en block, but it is an interesting way for the former Vice President to reemerge in the public debate on an issue that has been so divisive and so connected to violence here at the capitol. Garrett haake, zolan, thanks to the both of you. We want to get to some Breaking News happening overseas this morning. That is specifically related to what happened at least ten rockets fired overnight at a Military Base in iraq. That is home to iraqi and u. S. Led coalition troops. A Coalition Spokesperson says the strike happened right around 7 30 local time in the morning with Iraqi Security forces leading the investigation. Let me bring in now nbc news Chief Global Correspondent bill neely who is following all of this. Bill, obviously this happened days after President Bidens first Air Strike Retaliation for a similar attack, a couple days before the pope is set to visit iraq. Whats the latest on what youre hearing . Reporter good morning, hallie. Another attack, another provocation, probably by iranianbacked militias, theyre being backed for this attack. Yes, another challenge for joe biden who just at the weekend warned iran be careful, you cannot act with impunity. As you say, ten missiles rained down on this base. We should point out no u. S. Casualties reported at the moment, but its the first time this base has been attacked, it houses hundreds of u. S. Troops. Just on Monday The Pentagon released a video of an attack last year that showed 16 missiles raining down on the base. When we talk about missiles, hallie, this isnt mortars, these are 1,000 pound bombs. And on that Occasion Dozens of u. S. Soldiers were injured. Its a base thats been visited by president bush, President Trump and now its another dilemma for President Biden because what does he do . Does he retaliate again . Remember at the weekend he carried out his first air strike against his militias . Or does he bide his time . Because when those air strikes were carried out the pentagon said very clearly their aim was deliberately to deescalate the situation. Well, the militias have just reescalated it, so for President Biden the middle east headache that has bedeviled every american president for half a century is on his desk now. He is monitoring the situation. The white house is aware of developments there. And of course as you say, this comes just a couple of days before guess who, pope francis is visiting iraq. Now, there is a trip that is fraught with danger. He is going to baghdad, hes going to erbil which was attacked by iranian backed militias and going to mosul which was the center of power for isis for a while. There is a trip full of danger, the kind of danger that those u. S. Troops face every day, an ongoing danger in iraq. Hallie . Bill neely live for us with that reporting. Thank you. A couple turning points this morning in the fight against the coronavirus, texas and Mississippi Rolling back Mask Mandates and other restrictions less than 24 hours after the cdc warned us against letting our guard down. The Executive Order from mississippis governor takes effect later this afternoon. Texas a week from today and it follows that Surprise Announcement from President Biden who says there will be enough vaccine for every adult in the u. S. By the end of may. Thats two months earlier than initially predicted. Nbcs Morgan Chesky is in austin, texas, were also joined by dr. Can a vita patel who served as Health Policy adviser in the Obama Administration. Morgan, youve been talking to Restaurant Owners, others, what are they saying about the governors decision to get texas fully opened up by next week. Reporter they feel like theyre receiving mixed messages, you hear the governor say hes going to fully reopen texas, 100 all in caps on twitter and then theyre saying local health leaders, mayors, saying, please continue to wear your masks, please stay vigilant, this virus is definitely not over. Thats creating a little confusion and its let some Restaurant Owners try to figure out how to best move forward. We know that here on this block we had a chance to speak to the gentleman that owns a pizza place behind me, he says, well, i guess i will follow the rules or lack thereof and i will ask people to wear masks but if they dont the governor made it clear that you cant penalize someone for not wearing a mask. And then we also spoke to a Restaurant Owner who is choosing not to reopen at all even though he has the governors blessings to do so simply because vaccinations have not been carried out to the point where he feels safe. Take a listen to what he had to say. Its incredibly frustrating. We are dying to reopen, we are operating at a much smaller percentage of revenue than we have ever operated here. We want to run this business to its full capacity. We just feel that its unsafe. Reporter now, on that vaccination front, we do know that President Biden says that every american should have the vaccine by may due to an invocation of the Defense Production Act that has now Johnson Johnson joining hands with merck to ramp up the production of that vaccine. Two months ahead of schedule. So some hopeful optimism in the future, but in the several months leading to that point Business Owners here now trying to do a bit of a delicate dance with this reopening happening a week ago or a week from now from next wednesday. Morgan, thank you. Dr. Patel, let me start by getting your reaction to a couple of things that morgan has laid out. First President Bidens announcement, enough vaccine available for every adult by the end of may. Available is one thing, distributed and put into arms, right, is very much another. What is your sense of the timeline on that . Yeah, hallie, look, im here in a clinic where were doing Vaccine Distribution and shots in arms that takes appointments that are coming off of clunky portals. Its incredibly frustrating for providers and patients alike. Having the supply will be huge but also having what President Biden said in terms of fema support, National Support and perhaps most importantly we really need those stimulus dollars because in there are billions of dollars to help counties and states like ours actually help step up these clinics and get people into clinics, mass vaccination sites, Community Health centers, et cetera. But its a huge step in the right direction and it should give every american some solace that it might be clunky but were going to get there sooner rather than later. I also love your reaction on what we just heard from Morgan On Texas and Mississippi Rolling back some of these restrictions. Even after the cdc warned, hey, listen, now is not the time to let our guard down, right . Now is not the time to get complacent. Do you worry that it is too much too fast, or is it appropriate based on what Governor Abbott and others have acknowledged, that covid exists but they are basing their decisions on numbers of case as soon as. No, its not acceptable, especially when we know that we have more infectious variants out there. Houston was the first u. S. City to have evidence of five concerning variants this past week and we already know that texas is unfortunately or fortunately such a large part of the population that what happens in texas doesnt stay in texas. Finally, hallie, i just want to say this this putting health against the economy has always left everybody a loser, inclusive of the businesses, inclusive of health care, because it doesnt have to be either or. The numbers coming down are proof that these masks work and that these restrictions work, but we can help those beleaguered Business Owners by giving them Public Health support to reopen safely. Dr. Patel, thank you very much for joining us. We appreciate your time. Back on the hill we are about to hear for the First Time Since the capitol riots from the National Guard. We will dip in live when that happens. We are still in Opening Statements at this point. Next up, other headlines on the hill including when the covid relief bill could pass and why Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer says he has the votes to pass it. A blistering report of allegations of Sexual Misconduct and drinking on the job of dr. Ronny jackson. How the tacks congressman who worked in the Obama Administration is responding this morning. The Obama Administration is responngdi this morning at tmobile we believe you should get more. Introducing magenta max. Unlimited premium data that cant slow down based on how much smartphone data you use. Plus netflix on us and taxes and fees included. Only at tmobile. The leader in 5g [narrator] if youre thinking about going to school online, Southern New Hampshire university is where you belong. 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Lets talk about neera tanden, mike, who could replace her and where might she land . Reporter the fact that even before we knew where Senator Murkowski was going to vote, the white house decided to withdraw tandens nomination tells you that the white house wasnt sure one republican vote would get her over the finish line. Joe manchin the democrat from West Virginia stated his opposition to the nomination but there were other democrats we havent heard from yet. Clearly a concern there. Its a setback for what has been a Success Story for the white house in terms of its nominations. 13 cabinet or cabinet level officials confirmed, six more on the runway ready to go. I will be waiting the same committee we are waiting to see in terms of one of those joint committees today, the Homeland Security and Government Affairs committee, they are set to hold a hearing tomorrow for shalanda young, shes been nominated to be the deputy omb director and theres strong support our nbc team is reporting from capitol hill democrats for the white house to now change course and put her forward to be the omb director. In fact, young was before a Different Committee hearing yesterday for a second confirmation hearing and some of the republicans on that panel were pretty open about the fact that they would support her for the top job which at the point wasnt open just yet. We will be watching closely as this nomination potentially moves forward, but at this point white house officials are telling us its premature to get into speculation about who might be put forward now that tandens nomination has been pulled, hallie. Leigh ann, youre reporting on that covid relief bill including a new ruling from the parliamentarian which might be another provision might be stripped from the bill. Reporter hallie, that is a provision regarding a rail service and a rail line in silicon valley. That is something that republicans have been hounding on this bill calling it the pelosi payoff because it is near House Speaker Nancy Pelosis district. The Senate Parliamentarian ruled that it cannot be included in this legislation. Again, not for political reasons, but because it does not meet the Arcane Senate rules. So while the minimum wage was a big discussion about the Senate Parliamentarian, theres all these other decisions that she is having to make and that rail service was one of them. But we could see the covid relief bill on the floor as early as today. What Senate Democrats are waiting on right now is the Congressional Budget Office scoring, outlining the legislation, saying that this is completely compliant with these Arcane Senate rules. But make no mistake they are trying to move very quickly to meet that March 14th Deadline before Unemployment Insurance extension runs out. President biden huddled with Senate Democrats yesterday telling them to move fast, saying that the covid bill is bipartisan, just not inside the halls of the capitol. So they could move to see a lot of amendments and attempts to change this legislation, but Senate Democrats are trying to beat back those amendments and efforts and pass this bill as is as much as possible, hallie. Leigh ann caldwell, mike memoli thanks to you both. Getting new details this morning on the results of a watchdog investigation, a blistering report into the former Top White House doctor and current member of Congress Ronny Jackson accused of Sexual Harassment and drinking on the job. Allegations that now congressman denies as he access the dod ig of getting political because of his ties to former president donald trump. Let me go to nbcs National Security reporter dan da louis for the latest. I know that you are getting your hands on that Inspector General report. What did they find . How is congressman jackson responding . It is it is a scathing report. They interviewed dozens of people who worked with him or under him and they describe an incredibly toxic Work Environment where they attack that he was screaming, throwing tantrums, yelling over trivial matters, really focused on cultivating the president , threatened by anyone he viewed as possibly overshadowing him. Also theres one female subordinate who describes him knocking on her door in the middle of the night in a hotel in manila on a trip and he says allegedly i need you and she said she felt that was sexually inappropriate. But youre right, jackson is denying this vehemently. Hes saying that he takes this duty very seriously, that this is politically motivated that what he says are untrue allegations are being rehashed against him. Dan, we appreciate your reporting on that. Thank you. Now to New York State where today State Lawmakers are in agreement to roll back some powers of governor andrew cuomo. Leaders in the state senate and si sem blee have been letting a vote for this week to try to repeal the governors Executive Authority related to the pandemic, thats after his mishandling of how the state reported deaths in nursing homes. That scandal is one facing the governor, the other those recent accusations of Sexual Harassment toward younger women. Six Democratic State senators who call themselves socialists are calling for his impeachment saying in a letter, quote, governors uses his power to belittle, bully and harass his employees and colleagues. Nbcs Anne Thompson joins us now. Where does this go from here. Reporter were all waiting to see what, if anything, governors will say in public. He remains out of site this morning which is highly unusual for the politician who loves cameras. His aides people referring us to his apology sunday night where he said his actions were misinterpreted as unwanted flirtations. Hes also denied the pervasive harassment claims of Lindsey Boylan one of his three young female accusers. Hallie, im going to send it back to you because i think were going to hear from this hearing. Anne thompson, thank you very much. We are. The witnesses have been sworn in or theyre just about to be sworn in. First up the person who will testify melissa smislova, she is with the department of Homeland Security. We will also expect to hear for the first time now from one of the leaders of the National Guard and, again, there are sques about these discrepancies in timing as it relates to the timing to the response to the attack on the capitol on january 6th. The Department Of Defenses support of civilian Law Enforcement agencies in securing the u. S. Capitol on january 6th, 2021. One of the dods missions is to support civil authorities, including civilian Law Enforcement organizations. Dod frequently provides this support during planned major events like the president ial inauguration and State Of The Union addresses. Due to the unique nature of the district of columbia in which numerous governmental organizations exercise a range of jurisdictional authorities, ensuring safety and security is the responsibility of the d. C. Government, the Secret Service, the park police, the marshall service, the Capitol Police, the federal protective service and other civilian Law Enforcement organizations. Dod provides support to these civilian Law Enforcement agencies when requested based on their assessment of the support required. Prior to the attack of january 6 dod worked closely with federal Law Enforcement, d. C. Government partners to determine if they anticipated a need for any dod or d. C. National guard support related to the planned protests. On 31 december The Commander general of d. C. National guard received a letter from the d. C. Government requesting National Guard support for the d. C. Metro police at 30 Traffic Control points and six metro stations. And to make available the d. C. National guard Civil Support Team to support the d. C. Fire and emergency services. Over the weekend of january 2nd and 3rd my staff contacted the Secret Service, the park police, the marshall service, the fbi, the Capitol Police to determine if they plan to request dod assistance. None of these Law Enforcement agencies indicated a need for dod or d. C. National guard support. After consultation with the department of justice, the acting Secretary Of Defense approved the d. C. Government request for National Guard personnel to support 30 Traffic Control points and six metro stations from january 5th to the 6th. The Acting Secretary also authorized a 40person Quick Reaction force to be readied at joint base andrews. On january 5th the acting Secretary Of Defense and the Secretary Of The Army received a letter from the mayor of d. C. Stating mpd is prepared and coordinated with its federal partners, namely the park police, the Capitol Police, and the Secret Service. Based on these communications with federal and local civilian authorities dod determined that no additional Military Support was required On January 5th and 6th. Dod has detailed the events of 6 january, 2021 in a memorandum published on defense. Gov. I will provide a summary of those key events. After the u. S. Capitol Police Ordered the evacuation of the Capitol Complex, the Secretary Of The Army and the commanding general of the d. C. National guard received calls shortly before 2 00 p. M. From the mayor of d. C. And the Capitol Police chief respectively. At approximately 2 30 p. M. The Secretary Of The Army met with the acting Secretary Of Defense and other Senior Leaders of the defense department. After this meeting the acting Secretary Of Defense determined that all available forces of the d. C. National guard were required to reinforce the d. C. Metropolitan police and the u. S. Capitol police and ordered the full mobilization of the d. C. National guard at 3 04 p. M. During this period Major General walker The Commander general of the d. C. National guard recalled and made ready the d. C. National guard forces at the National Guard armory for deployment to the Capitol Complex. After reviewing the d. C. National guards commissions, equipping and responsibilities to be performed at the Capitol Complexion, in support of the metropolitan police, and Capitol Police, and conferring with the d. C. Metropolitan police at their headquarters at 4 10 p. M. , the Secretary Of The Army received the acting Secretary Of Defenses approval at 4 32 and ordered the d. C. National guard forces to depart the armory for the Capitol Complex. Dod continued to deploy National Guard forces through the evening to support the u. S. Capitol. By 9 00 on 7 january, 1,100 National Guard personnel had arrived at the capitol. By 9 00 on 8 january, 1,800 National Guard personnel had arrived at the capitol. And by 10 january, 6,000 National Guard personnel were at the capitol providing security. Dod continues to support efforts to protect the safety and security of the u. S. Capitol and provide support to our civilian Law Enforcement partners. From january 9 through the Inauguration Dod provided nearly 25,000 National Guard personnel to support security in washington, d. C. Today there are approximately 4,900 National Guard personnel supporting Capitol Police, and 500 supporting the metropolitan police. Going forward the Department Of Defense is committed to working closely with our federal, state and local Law Enforcement partners, the d. C. Government and the congress to ensure that we learn from this event and take all necessary actions to respond and ensure an attack on our nations capitol never happens again. Chairman peters, chairwoman klobuchar, Ranking Member portman and blunt, distinguished members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify before you today and thank you for your continued commitment and support to the men and women of the Department Of Defense. Ms. Smilosa, you are recognized for your Opening Statement. Thank you, senator. Good morning, chairman peters, chairwoman klobuchar, Ranking Member portman, Ranking Member blunt and other distinguished senators, thank you for the opportunity for me to testify with you today. I want to start with saying i am deeply saddened by the terrifying events that you, your staff, your loved ones and others experienced on january 6th. The country, myself included, watched in horror as our capitol was attacked. I am here today as the Acting Undersecretary for the Office Of Intelligence And Analysis, ina at dhs. I am a Career Intelligence professional of over 35 years. I am honored to have this opportunity to lead ina. I have great faith in the workforce and in our mission, which is to focus on a range of homeland threats, including domestic terrorism, and ensuring that our partners across state, local, private sector, have the information they need. Before i summarize the actions my office took before january 6th i do want to say im deeply concerned that despite our best efforts they did not lead to an Operational Response to prepare and defend the u. S. Capitol. Throughout the 2020 election period and the president ial transition ina produced numerous strategic assessments about the potential for electionrelated violence from domestic violent extremists. In 15 unclassified assessments ina discussed the heightened threat environment and the potential for domestic violent extremists to mobilize quickly and attack large gatherings or government buildings. These products were intended to increase awareness about the volatile threat environment and enhance both policy and operational planning. They were shared broadly with all levels of government, Law Enforcement partners, Critical Infrastructure including through Fusion Centers nationwide. I will highlight a few products and engagements. In august ina published an assessment on physical threats stemming from the 2020 election in which we assessed idealogicallymow separated violent extremists and other violent actors could quickly mobilize to threaten or engage in violence against election or campaignrelated targets in response to perceived partisan and policybased grievances. In october dhs released its first publicly available Homeland Threat Assessment which stated racially and ethnically motivated violent extremists specifically White Supremacists would remain the most persistent and lethal threat in the homeland. The assessment also emphasized the breath of the domestic violent extremists threat including the heightened threats from electionrelated violence. A week before the attack on December 30th Ina coauthored an intelligence product with the fbi and the National Counterterrorism center highlighting persistent threats to Government Facilities and Law Enforcement noting the perceptions of the outcome of the election could mobilize some extremists to commit violence in the coming months. Additionally ina proactively conducted briefings and Stakeholder Calls before and after the election and leading up to january 6th to share that information. Moving forward i want to underscore the department is Prioritizing Combatting domestic terrorism specifically in ina were working very closely with our dhs colleagues in the civil rights, Civil Liberties office, privacy office, and our own Intelligence Oversight Office to carefully examine how we can better address the complex and evolving threat in the manner consistent with the constitution and u. S. Law. My office is committed to developing more expertise on domestic terrorism and proving our analysis of social media to better characterize the threat and ensuring our assessments are received and understood by key decisionmakers. Additionally, the department has taken these steps since january 6th. In late january dhs issued our First National terrorism advisory system bulletin on domestic terrorism. It warned domestic violent extremists may be emboldened to act in the wake of the u. S. Capitol breach. Domestic violent extremists which span racially and ethnically motivated extremists will continue to exploit lawful constitutionally protected protests and other events to pursue criminal behavior and commit acts of violence. Also for the first time secretary mayorkas designated domestic violent extremists as a National Priority area within the departments Homeland Security grant. Let me say let me close by saying my colleagues in ina and across dhs are unwavering in our commitment to ensuring the department ept is wellpositioned to combat this evolving threat and protect the American People. Thank you for your opportunity to appear before you today. I welcome your questions. Thank you, Disease Sanborn you are recognized for your opening comments. Good morning, chairwoman klobuchar, Ranking Member blunt, chairman peters, Ranking Member portman. And the members of the committees. Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today. My name is jill sanborn and im the Assistant Director for the Counterterrorism Division within the fbi. It is always an honor to be here with you in the senate. For those of you that i havent met or you dont know i actually started my career in Public Service as a senate page in 1987 thanks to a sponsorship from my home senator, senator max balk can you say. I want to start by offering my condolence toss all of you who had to endure up close and personally the violence and destruction that occurred on january 6th. The siege on the Capitol Complex while you were carrying out your duties as our elected representatives was not just unacceptable and disturbing, it was criminal. I also want to offer condolences to our partners at u. S. Capitol police for the loss of one of their brothers, officer sicknick. This is a loss to us all in Law Enforcement. Violence designed to intimidate the population and influence the government is exactly what the fbis Counterterrorism Division was designed to combat. The men and women of the fbi are not only dedicated to identifying and bringing to justice the individuals involved in the attack on january 6th, but also and equally as important and let me stress this, were committed to working to prevent Something Like this from ever happening again. Over the last two months americans, the americans you represent, from across the country have sent in over 200,000 Digital Media tips and reported more than 30,000 leads to our National Threat operations center. With this support we have identified hundreds of people involved in the attack and arrested more than 300 with more and more arrests every day. I want to reiterate something the director mentioned to some of your colleagues yesterday, as americans, we are all victims of this assault. And the American People deserve nothing less than our commitment to see this investigation through and to protect them from acts of violence like this in the future. The fbis number one priority is preventing acts of terrorism, the greatest threat we face is the threat posed by lone actors, both domestic violent extremists and what we refer to as the homegrown violent extremists. These actors are especially challenging for Law Enforcement because by definition their insular nature makes them particularly difficult to identify and disrupt before they have an opportunity to act. The fbi has opinion investigating domestic terrorism throughout our organizations history, however, todays threat is different than it was 100 years ago and continues to evolve. Between 2015 and 2020 racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists were responsible for the moth lethal domestic terrorism threat and 2019 was the most lethal year for domestic violent extremists attacks since the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. However, in 2020 three of the four fatal domestic violent extremists attacks were perpetrated by what we call antigovernment or antiauthority violent extremists one of those attacks was perpetrated in portland and this was the first fatal anarchist violent extremists attack in over 20 years. 2020 marked the first year since 2011 that there were no fatal attacks committed by the racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists advocating for the superiority of the white race. I think all of those explain how the threat is persistent and evolving. Looking forward we assess the domestic violent extremists threat will continue to pose an elevated threat of violence to the u. S. We expect racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists and antigovernment, antiauthority violent extremists will likely pose the greatest domestic terrorism threats throughout 2021 and leading into 2022. Regardless of the specific perpetrator the domestic terrorism threat remains persistent and that is why we must remain focused on countering it. I want to reemphasize that the fbis mission to uphold the constitution and protect the American People is both dual and simultaneous and not contradictory. One does not come at the expense of the other. That said, when a person crosses the line from expressing beliefs to violating federal law and endangers the communities we serve, we aggressively pursue those threats. Before closing i want to mention the porps of partnerships in the counterterrorism fight. We simply cannot be successful without them. Our investigations and disruptions rely on these partnerships and they represent american lives saved in communities around the United States. For instance, in fiscal year 2020 alone across the United States we arrested 235 terrorism sukts. We also continue to expand our partnerships in academia, private sector, and within the communities we serve. This is critical because nearly half of our cases are predicated on tips and leads from the community and our Law Enforcement partners. We in Law Enforcement cannot and will not tolerate individuals who use the First Amendment as a guise to incite violence. Thats true now as we work hard to hold those accountable involved in the events on january 6th just as it was last summer when individuals exploited peaceful protests as cover for their own violence and destruction. When violent extremists utilize explosive devices, Attack Government if a sifts or businesses or attack Law Enforcement officers the fbi investigates those unlawful acts regardless of the underlying ideological motivation. At the fbi we work every threat with the same level of rigger and dedication and thats what i hope you take away from my testimony today. Thank you again for an opportunity to talk with you about the hard work our folks and our partners are doing every day to keep the country safe. We are grateful for the support that you have provided and continue to provide the men and women of the fbi. I look forward to answering any of the questions you may have. Thank you. General walker, you are now recognized for your Opening Statement. Good morning, chairman peters, chairwoman klobuchar, Ranking Members portman and blunt and kmebs of the committees. I am Major General William Walker The Commander general for the district of columbia National Guard affectionately known as capitol guardians. I appreciate the opportunity to appear before you today to discuss the events of january 6, a dark chapter in our nations history. I was personally sickened by the violence and destruction i witnessed that fateful day and the physical and mental harm that came to u. S. Capitol Police Officers and metropolitan Police Department officers. Some of whom i met with later that evening and i could see the injuries that they sustained. It is my hope that the recollection my recollection of the events and my presentation of the facts as i know them will help your committees in its investigation and prevent such tragic events from ever occurring again. First i think its critical to understand what the district of columbia National Guard mission was on january 6th to include the Civilian Agency we were supporting and our request for support of other civilian authorities were handled. On december 31st, 2020, the district of columbia National Guard received written requests from the district of columbia mayor Muriel Bowser and her director of Homeland Security and Emergency Management dr. Christopher rodriguez. The request sought National Guard support for Traffic Control and crowd management for planned demonstrations in the district from january 5th through january 6th, 2021. After conducting Mission Analysis to support the districts request, i sent a letter to the Secretary Of The Army, ryan mccarthy, on january 1st requesting his approval. I received that approval in a letter dated january 5th, granting support to the metropolitan Police Department with a 320 guardsman personnel to include a 40 personnel Quick Reaction force. The district of columbia National Guard provides support to the metropolitan Police Department, the United States park police, United States Secret Service and other federal and district Law Enforcement agencies in response to planned rallies, marches, protests and other large scale First Amendment activity on a routine basis. The standard component of such report is the stand up of an off site Quick Reaction force an element of guardsmen held in reserve with civil disturbance response equipment, helmets, shields, batons, et cetera. They are postured to quickly respond to an urgent and immediate need for assistance by civil authorities. The Secretary Of The Armys january 5th letter to me withheld that authority for me to employ a Quick Reaction force. Additionally, the Secretary Of The Armys memorandum to me required that a concept of operation be submitted to him before the employment of a Quick Reaction force. I found that requirement to be unusual, as was the requirement to seek approval to move guardsmen supporting the metropolitan Police Department to move from one Traffic Control point to another. At 1 30 p. M. On january 6 we watched as the metropolitan Police Department plan to deploy officers to support the Capitol Police. In doing so the officers began to withdraw from the Traffic Control points that were jointly manned with district of columbia guardsmen. At 1 49 p. M. I received a frantic call from then chief of United States Capitol Police steven sund where he informed me that the Security Perimeter of the United States capitol had been breached by hostile rioters. Chief sunds his chief cracking with emotion indicated that there was a dire emergency at the capitol and he requested the immediate assistance of as many available i could muster. Immediately after that 1 49 call, i alerted the u. S. Army Senior Leadership of the request. The approval for chief sunds request would come and be relayed to me by army Senior Leaders at 5 08 p. M. , three hours and 19 minutes later, i had guardsmen on buses ready to move to the capitol, consequently at 5 20 p. M. , less than 20 minutes, the district of columbia National Guard arrived at the capitol and were being sworn in by the United States Capitol Police. We helped to establish the Security Perimeter at the east side of the capitol to facilitate the ree sdum resuming. I am grateful for the timely assistance for our neighbors from virginia, delaware and maryland National Guard who augmented d. C. National guard forces in establishing the Security Perimeter. Im honored to lead these Citizen Soldiers and airmen. These are your constituents, many of whom left behind families, careers, education, businesses to help ensure the protection and safety of the United States capitol and those who serve in it every day. Thank you for the opportunity to brief you today. Thank you for your continued support of the National Guard. I look forward to any questions you may have. Thank you again. Thank you, general walker. Thank you for your testimony. I know i speak on behalf of everybody in this joint Committee Room that we fully support the men and women of the National Guard and appreciate your work on that day and continue to appreciate the service you are providing your country and protecting the capitol as well as our country. So thank you again. General walker, i want to start my questions by going back in time a little bit prior to the events on january 6th. My question is, in june of 2020, as violence was escalating during the summer protests, were you able to immediately receive approval from the Secretary Of The Army and the Secretary Of Defense to deploy National Guard to assist Law Enforcement at that time . Senator peters, i was, yes, sir. The Secretary Of The Army was with me for most of that week. He came to the armory. I was in constant communication with him when we were not together. So you were immediately able to receive approval in june of 20. From your testimony, i want to be clear. Were you able to immediately receive approval from the Secretary Of The Army and the Secretary Of Defense to deploy the National Guard on january 6th . No, sir. In your opening remarks, you said that a january 5th memo was unusual. Could you explain to the committee why it was unusual, and what was the impact of the memo you received On January 5th . The memo was unusual in that it required me to seek authorization from the Secretary Of The Army and the Secretary Of Defense to essentially even protect my guardsmen. No civil disturbance equipment could be authorized unless it was it came from the Secretary Of Defense. The Secretary Of The Army, to his credit, did tell me that i could have force Protection Equipment with the guardsmen. We did have helmets, shin guards, vests. We did have that with us. That came from the Secretary Of The Army. The Secretary Of Defense told me i needed his permission to escalate, to have that kind of protection. That kind of protection, even though you would be engaged in Force Protection to protect your men and women before you could do that, you would have to get approval from the Secretary Of Defense . The memo from the Secretary Of Defense made clear that i needed his permission to have what it says, without my personal authorization, the district of columbia National Guard is not authorized to be issued weapons, ammunition, bayonets, batons or ballistic Protection Equipment such as helmets and body armor. Again, to be clear, the Secretary Of The Army told me to go ahead and issue that equipment. We never were going to have weapons or ammunition. We no longer have bayonets. But we do have ballistic Protection Equipment, helmets, body armor. So i did have that with each guardsman. Thank you, general. That was unusual, as you mentioned, to have that kind of request. You were on the january 6th phone call at 2 30 that we heard from our previous hearing where the chief of Capitol Police was making an urgent appeal for help and that we heard that the d. C. Metro police chief said it was a tepid response, he was shocked by it. What happened on that call . What was your recollection of the call and the assessment of the two individuals i mentioned, was that your assessment as well . Yes, sir. That call came in. We actually helped facilitate it. The deputy mayor from the district of columbia and dr. Rodriguez, chief conte. Chief sund later joined the conversation. We dialed in the Senior Leadership of the u. S. Army. At that time, chief conte and chief sund pleaded for district of columbia National Guard to get to the capitol with all deliberate speed. The army Senior Leaders did not think that it looked good, it would be a good optic. They further stated that it could incite the crowd. Their best Military Advice would be to the Secretary Of The Army, who could not get on the call we wanted the Secretary Of The Army to join the call. He was not available. We were told that he was with the Secretary Of Defense and not available. The army Senior Leadership expressed to chief conte, chief sund, dr. Mitchell, the deputy mayor and others on the call that it would not be their best Military Advice to have uniformed guardsmen on the capitol. So during the call, you are saying that optics was raised on that call, specifically. I want to go back to the question i started. You said that you were able to get immediate authorization in the summer of 2020 during those protests. General walker, was the issue of optics ever brought up by Army Leadership when the d. C. National guard was deployed during the summer of 2020 . Was that discussed . It was never discussed the week of june. It was never discussed july 4th when we were supporting the city. It was never discussed august 28th when we supported the city. Did you think that was unusual . I did. Lets put it in context. In your Opening Statements, you mentioned that National Guard troops were ready to go. You had them back at the armory. How many folks were in the armory ready to go once the order was given and at what time were they ready to go . So, i had them ready to go shortly after the phone call. I brought at 1500 i directed the Quick Reaction force that was based at Andrews Air Force base leave the base, get to the armory at all deliberate speed. I had a Police Escort bring them to the armory. They returned to the armory in about 20 minutes. So we had them sitting there waiting. Then in anticipation of a green light, a go, we put guardsmen on buses. We brought them inside the armory so nobody would see them putting on the equipment and getting on the buses. Then we just waited to get the approval. Thats why we were able to get to the capitol in about 18 minutes. What time were they on the buses ready to go, do you remember . Before 5 00. At 5 00, i decided, you know, we have theres got to be an approval coming. Get on the buses. Get the equipment on. Get on the buses and just wait. A few minutes after that, we did get the approval. I was on a secure Video Conference when the Army Leadership conveyed to me that the Secretary Of Defense had authorized the deployment of the National Guard at the capitol. My time line has 5 08 p. M. Is when we wrote down we had approval. That was about eight people in the office with me when i got that. How many guardsmen were ready . About 155. You could have sent 155 much earlier. What would have been the impact of sending those 155 around that 2 00 time frame . Based on my experience with the summer and i have 19 years i have 39 years in the National Guard. I was in the florida guard, hurricane andrew. I have been involved in civil disturbances. I believe that number could have made a difference. We could have helped extend the perimeter and help push back the crowd. Miss sandborn, we heard from former Law Enforcement officials who stated that a lack of Intelligence Reporting was the main reason for Capitol Police not being fully prepared for the january 6th attack. My question to both of you, yes or no, would you agree the Intelligence Community failed to sufficiently identify the threat and warn the Capitol Police of a plot to breach the capitol, a plot planned in public and announced in advance in a number of open sources . I think this is on. I will start. I wouldnt necessarily categorize it that way, sir. I will tell you, i think you heard us say before, theres not an agent that wouldnt want more tools in their toolbox. Theres not an analyst that wouldnt want more