EXCLUSIVE: Leading Republicans in several committees are demanding answers from Speaker Nancy Pelosi regarding security decisions taken up to and including the day of the January 6 riot on the Capitol.
House Board of Directors Rodney Davis, House Judges Committee, Rank Jordan Jim Jordan, House Council Rankings, James Comer, and members of the Intelligence Committee, Devin Nunes, wrote a letter to Pelosi, D-California, on Monday. sent and said that “very important questions” about her “responsibility for the safety of the Capitol on January 6” remain unanswered. “
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Davis, Jordan, Comer and Nunes pointed out that Steve Sund, former chief of police in Capitol, claimed that on January 4, he approached the sergeant in arms to ask for the help of the national guard. Sund said in a letter to Pelosi last month that former sergeant Paul Irving said he was concerned about “the optics” and did not feel the “intelligence supported them”.
“As you know, the Speaker of the House is not only the leader of the majority party, but he also has enormous institutional responsibilities,” they wrote. “The Speaker is responsible for all operational decisions made within the House.”
Pelosi’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment.
The Republicans added that over the past two years, they have observed a “very cumbersome and strictly controlled approach to home operations applied by you, your staff, and an army of appointed home officials.”
“When then-Chief Sund made a request for national guard support on January 4, why was the request denied?” wrote the Republicans. “Did Sergeant Paul Irving get permission or instruction from your staff on January 4 before denying Chief Sund’s request for the national guard?”
In their letter, Republicans also pointed to Sund’s move on Jan. 6 to notify the Sergeant of Arms of his request for national guard support and took it ‘more than an hour before his request was approved because SAA’s request had to set up. the commando chain, saying that the chain ‘undoubtedly’ included Pelosi and her ‘designers’.
Davis, Jordan, Comer and Nunes continued Pelosi for her move to fire Irving ‘unilaterally’ and demand Sund’s resignation.
“These decisions were made in a biased manner without consulting the Republicans of the House, and this raises questions about the political motives of your decisions,” they wrote.
Meanwhile, Republicans during a press conference pointed to Pelosi’s remarks during a press conference, in which she outlined her reasoning for demanding Sund’s resignation, saying that he ‘has not called us since it happened’.
Republicans said the claim was “refuted” by Sund, who “set out two occasions that he informed you about the situation on the Capitol campus – the first took place at 17:36 and the second at 18:25, both on January 6th. “
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Sund set out the calls in a letter to Pelosi earlier this month, saying that during the first call at 17:36 he informed former Vice President Pence about the security stance and then claimed Pelosi was joining the call, in which he ‘gives advice’. both of you that the rooms can be safely occupied again at 19:30. “
Sund also outlined the call at about 6:25 p.m., which he said was a conference call with the leadership of Congress, including Pelosi, current Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, current Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Representative James Clyburn.
After firing Irving and Sund, Pelosi, last month, ousted the retired Genl. Russel Honoré appointed to lead a safety review of the events at the Capitol amid calls from members on both sides of the aisle, in both chambers of Congress, to conduct a review. .
“While there is widespread support for conducting an independent campus security review, General Russel Honoré has been appointed exclusively by you, without consulting the minority,” the Republicans wrote. “In honor of the general, he has directed several Republicans to inform his work so far. We are hopeful that his review will result in favorable recommendations that are not influenced by political motivations.”
However, they added that “it is easy to understand why we and our peers in the Senate remain skeptical that any of his final recommendations will be independent and without your influence.”
Davis, Jordan, Comer and Nunes also expressed concern about the “obstruction and inability to obtain and retain information” from home officials when they requested it.
“Such information is necessary to properly oversee the events of January 6,” they wrote. ‘Preservation and production requests have been sent to SAA and the House’s administrative officer, including legislative agencies, to request that such relevant information regarding the attack on the Capitol be kept, including correspondence, video recordings, audio recordings and other records. must be and delivered to the relevant committees. “
“In multiple cases, your nominees, on your behalf, have refused requests to provide this information,” they continued. “The response we received was: ‘We regret that we have informed you that, due to the scope of the information requested, we are unable to meet the issues involved in the nature of the request.’ ‘
The Republicans added that, despite the ‘refusal to comply with the request’ of the officers, they learned that ‘some of the same material we requested was provided to the House Legal Committee on a biased basis.’
“This is unacceptable. Madam Speaker, the direction could only have come from you,” they wrote.
“Finally, your hyperbolic focus on fabricated internal security issues has taken critical resources away from the real threat from outside the U.S. Capitol,” they wrote. “Your decision to install magnetometers in the living room is another example of this misappropriation and misuse of household resources, which can be better used to protect members, staff and official visitors from real, confirmed threats.”
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They added: “Tell me, Madam Speaker, you did not meet this requirement yourself.”
“End this political charade and work with us to protect the Capitol and those who work here every day,” they wrote.
The Republicans’ request comes as Capitol police were scrutinized amid the Capitol’s siege on January 6 during a joint congressional session to ratify the results of the Electoral College in favor of President Joe Biden.
But Pelosi said last week that she would pass a resolution giving the Congress’ gold medal – the highest honor Congress can bestow – to U.S. police officers in the Capitol and other law enforcement personnel who protect the Capitol during the riots.
“They are martyrs for our democracy, those who have lost their lives,” Pelosi said during her weekly press conference.
Five people were killed when a crowd of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, including Capitol U.S. Police Officer Brian Sicknick, 42. Two other officers were killed by suicide in the week following the siege.
“The service of the Capitol Police Force that day brings honor to our democracy. Accepting this reward brings shine to this medal,” the California Democrat said. “We must always remember their sacrifice and be vigilant about what I said before, about what Abraham Lincoln said: the silent artillery of the time. We will never forget. ‘
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Pelosi said the attack on the Capitol underscored the ‘extraordinary bravery’ of the Capitol police who ‘put their lives at risk’, including officers Howard Leibengood, Jeffrey Smith and Eugene Goodman.
“We want to honor them in the best way we can,” Pelosi said. “We will do it beyond a medal, but in our hearts.”