GOP Jan. 6 Appointees Release Report On Capitol Security Failure

GOP Jan. 6 Appointees Release Report On Capitol Security Failure

Republican Reps. Jim Banks of Indiana, Jim Jordan of Ohio, Troy Nehls of Texas, Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota and Rodney Davis of Illinois have released a report Wednesday following their investigation into security failures during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

The lawmakers found that Democrats such as Nancy Pelosi were closely involved in security decisions during the lead-up to Jan. 6 and on the day of the riot.

Concerns from Democratic leadership about “optics” in the wake of Black Lives Matter riots prevented the early deployment of the National Guard, according to the report. Nearly 2,000 people reportedly breached the Capitol during the riot, which injured over 100 law enforcement officers and resulted in the death of one protester. “When Speaker Pelosi made the unprecedented decision to reject Jim Banks and Jim Jordan from sitting on the January 6 Select Committee – we knew she intended to play politics instead of addressing the massive security failures that led to that day,” the representatives said in a statement. “We said then that we would investigate and get to the bottom of why the Capitol was left so unprepared that day, and what needs to be done to make sure our security apparatus is never left so unprepared again.” “Unsurprisingly, the Select Committee appears to have spent almost no time on this issue. We release the following report to answer these questions, and to lay a groundwork for security reforms as we prepare to lead a safer and more secure Campus in the 118th Congress and beyond,” the lawmakers added.

Additionally, the Republicans found that Capitol Police officers did not undergo training to protect themselves from violence. Officers did not have the equipment they needed to contain the riot, and the organizational structure of the Capitol Police led to delays in decision making on Jan. 6, according to the report.

The report also claims that bureaucratic changes within the Capitol Police’s Intelligence and Interagency Coordination Division hindered the response to the riot. The lawmakers who released the report were appointed by GOP House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to serve on the Jan. 6 Select Committee before being blocked by Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi.