Published 16:11 IST, February 24th 2021
Intel failures to be blamed for US Capitol riots, say security officials
The officials who were in charge of security on the day of the Capitol riots, during their first public testimony said that missed intelligence is to be blamed.
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The officials who were in charge of security on the day of the US Capitol riots, during their first public testimony said that missed intelligence is to be blamed for the insurrection. The officers included the former chief of the Capitol Police. A day that should have been considered just the next step in the democratic process of US elections in the country turned out to be a ‘dark day for America’ with thousands of Trump supporters swarming inside the US Capitol. A total of 5 people died due to the riots.
First hearing
Former Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund resigned immediately after the attacks due to extreme pressure. However, during the testimony, he, along with other officers said that they had expected an attack similar to two pro-Trump events in late 2020. They were less violent than the Capitol siege. He said that he had not seen an FBI field office report that warned of potential violence citing online posts about a “war”. He further described the scene that was “like nothing” he had seen in his 30 years of policing. He further argued that the insurrection took place because of the failures across the board and not because of poor planning by Capitol Police.
He said, “No single civilian law enforcement agency – and certainly not the USCP – is trained and equipped to repel, without significant military or other law enforcement assistance, an insurrection of thousands of armed, violent, and coordinated individuals focused on breaching a building at all costs”. This was the first hearing and was investigated by two Senate committees. Also, this was the first time the officials testified publicly about the events. The officers that testified included former Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Michael Stenger, former House Sergeant-at-Arms Paul Irving and Robert Contee, the acting chief of police for the Metropolitan Police Department.
In the aftermath of the riots, the members out-voted US President Donald Trump’s cabinet discussed the possibility of removing Trump from the office. Some American media outlets reported that cabinet members discussed the 25th amendment to the US constitution. The 25th amendment allows removal of the US President by the vice president and cabinet if he is proven “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office”.
(Image Credits: AP)
16:11 IST, February 24th 2021