“Based on this information,” she added, it is “prudent for the Capitol police to maintain its safe attitude until we address these issues in the future.”
Pittman said the existing intelligence emphasized that insurgents who stormed the Capitol “are not just interested in attacking members and officers. They want to send a symbolic message to the country about who is in charge of the legislative process.”
Although authorities are aware of future attacks discussed by the militia groups that attacked the Capitol on January 6, it is unclear how developed or serious the intelligence surrounding the plans may be. President Joe Biden’s first speech on the state union for a joint session of Congress is expected to be scheduled only after his approval of his pandemic package.
Pittman, who took power after her predecessor resigned, raised the issue after being pushed by several lawmakers over when fences, razor wire and the national guard units would be removed from the Capitol’s security post. Rep. Jamie Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.) Said the improved measures “make the seat of democracy look like a military base.”
The discussion came after Pittman also added new elements to the timeline of the decay during the uprising, which complicated the version of events told by Capitol security officials who resigned in the aftermath of the uprising. Pittman said she pulled the phone records of former chief Steven Sund and confirmed that he had reached out to the House and Senate gunmen at 12:58 and 13:05, respectively. Sund told lawmakers he first issued at 1:09 p.m., a timeline disputed by one former Senate sergeant this week.
The revelation by Pittman, which took place during a House Panel Committee’s sub-panel hearing on the security breach of last month’s riots on Thursday, raises the timeline that Sund and other former Capitol top security officials gave to senators on security decay. And that adds a new layer of confusion about how the communication disruptions occurred when supporters of Donald Trump stormed the Capitol.
Former Arms Sergeant Paul Irving has told senators that he only heard from Sund at 13:28 and that no formal request for help from the National Guard had been submitted until 14:00. It appears that Pittman’s testimony supports the narrative that Sund shared. resigned shortly after violent insurgents threatened the transfer of presidential power.
The difference between former officials’ memories of their reaction is an early and defining element of the investigation into the handling of the uprising. And Sund’s memory seemed suspicious as the video of Irving confirmed his bill at 13:09 on the floor of the house. But Pittman’s revelation suggests that Sund may have reached Irving 11 minutes earlier than previously thought – and Irving’s Senate counterpart, Michael Stenger, a few minutes later.
Senators have requested telephonic records from officials to pin down this aspect of the timeline.
Pittman and acting Sergeant-in-Arms Timothy Blodgett on Thursday reflected a refrain first advanced by other former officials to senators: that the January 6 security failures were due to insufficient intelligence provided by the FBI, Homeland Security and other agencies were provided. , as opposed to misreading the available intelligence.
Lawmakers on the panel have made it clear that they are still furious about the apparent failure of the Capitol police to fully protect Congress. Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), chairman of the Credit Subcommittee, said it was incredible that the agency was “so flawed and unprepared” for the violence that unfolded that day, especially as many of the insurgents set out their plans in clear view on social media.
Ryan also noted that the security officers of the intelligence service, even though it was restricted, still pointed out on January 6 a risk of substantial violence. A last-minute request from Sund for more helmets stressed that he expects danger for officers, Ryan noted.
“I certainly do not want to understand how your intelligence report – and later, as the mob walks 16 blocks, grows in scope and aggressive stance – does not affect the Capitol Police’s security stance,” Ryan said.
Beutler pressed Pittman and Blodgett on why members of the House were left stranded on the floor of the house, even while the senate was evacuated.
The chair of the home credit committee, Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), Said that the Capitol Police Board – the four-member unit that oversees the daily safety of the Capitol and includes the principal, the sergeant and the architect. of the Capitol – failed on January 6 and showed that it is obsolete.
‘It’s like your attachment. It’s just there. It has no real function, “said DeLauro.
DeLauro also urged Pittman to investigate 35 officers for alleged misconduct on Jan. 6. Pittman said they are still ongoing, although it usually takes 60 to 90 days. Pittman is committed to reporting the results as soon as they are reached.
In addition, Pittman confirmed that she considered the death of Brian Sicknick, Capitol police officer who died of unknown causes shortly after the January 6 uprising, as a “death service”. But during the trial of Representative Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.), Pittman did not want to apply the same label to the death of Officer Howard Liebengood, who allegedly took his own life days after the attack.
“I can’t talk about this right now, ma’am,” Pittman said. “It is still being actively investigated.”
Wexton urged Pittman to refrain from holding public press meetings in the Capitol after the January 6 attack, and she encouraged Pittman to hold him in the future. But Pittman refused.
“Not yet at the moment,” Pittman said, adding that since the attack, the agency has been internally focused on the well-being of its employees and on giving answers to lawmakers, rather than to the public.
Ryan jumped in to say that the Capitol police have communicated well with lawmakers, but that “we also think the American people and the press should hear directly from you.”