U.S. Capitol Riots Were 'Preventable' And Government Agencies 'Failed' Responsibility To Protect Congress, Officials Say
WASHINGTON (WJZ) -- The attack on the U.S. was preventable and Capitol Police knew that the Jan. 6 riots could be more violent, according to information discussed during a U.S. House Appropriations Committee briefing on the security breach.
Acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman apologized for a failed response to the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol during that briefing, according to CBS News.
In a statement Pittman wrote, "the Department failed to meet its own high standards as well as yours."
Pittman also wrote Capitol Police should have been more prepared for the attack saying the department knew by Jan. 4 that the "January 6th event would not be like any of the previous protests held in 2020."
Crisis at the Capitol: Complete Coverage
"We knew that militia groups and white supremacists organizations would be attending," she wrote. "We also knew that some of these participants were intending to bring firearms and other weapons to the event. We knew that there was a strong potential for violence and that Congress was the target."
Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro called it "one of darkest days in American history."
"We learned that the attack on the People's House was preventable and that the government agencies tasked with keeping our country safe failed in their most basic responsibilities," DeLauro said in a statement.
"Former President Trump and his mob are overwhelmingly responsible for the attack on the Capitol, putting Members of Congress, staff, Capitol employees, and even law enforcement at risk," she continued. "However, it is now obvious that intelligence agencies had ample evidence an angry mob would descend on Washington, with Congress' meeting to certify the presidential election as the intended target."
DeLauro said the law enforcement agencies tasked with protecting the Capitol "did not act on this intelligence or adequately prepare for the looming threat."
She also pointed to the "troubling lapses in coordination" referring to the deployment of the National Guard.
"Unprecedented" in FBI history: What we know about the Capitol riot arrests
DeLauro also called out the "disturbing matter" of how law enforcement's response to peaceful Black Lives Matter protests were "so much more stringent" than the response at the Capitol.
"Former President Trump's actions can be addressed by the United States Senate disqualifying him from holding future office," DeLauro continued. "The violent rioters must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
Read more about the briefing on CBS News.
Stay with WJZ on this developing story. To get breaking news alerts, download our app now!