Senate releases bipartisan Capitol insurrection report identifying big problems, 20 solutions, no blame for Trump
The Senate Rules and Homeland Security committees early Tuesday released a bipartisan report outlining multiple intelligence, communications, and leadership failures during and before the Jan. 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol. "The attack was, quite frankly, planned in plain sight," Homeland Security Committee Chairman Gary Peters (D-Mich.) told reporters.
Capitol Police intelligence officers knew as early as Dec. 21 that "Stop the Steal" activists were organizing on social media to breach the Capitol on Jan. 6 and "bring guns" and other weapons, the 127-page report says. They were also sharing maps of the Capitol and its tunnel system, discussing the best entry points and how to trap lawmakers inside the tunnels. This information was not shared with Capitol Police leadership, rank-and-file officers, or other federal law enforcement.
The report also sets out a detailed timeline of the Jan. 6 riot and contains interviews of Capitol Police officers recounting the "absolutely brutal" abuse they faced from the insurrectionists.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Senate report "is the first — and could be the last — bipartisan review of how hundreds of former President Donald Trump's supporters were able to violently push past security lines and break into the Capitol," The Associated Press reports. "As a bipartisan effort, the report does not delve into the root causes of the attack, including Trump's role as he called for his supporters to 'fight like hell' to overturn his election defeat that day. It does not call the attack an insurrection, even though it was."
Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), the top Republican on the Rules Committee and one of the GOP senators who recently blocked an independent bipartisan Jan. 6 commission, argues such an investigation would be redundant and take too long. The new Senate report "clearly states its scope was limited, and 'further scrutiny of these failures and the preparations and response of federal agencies' is needed," Axios notes.
Blunt and Rules Committee Chairwoman Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) plan to introduce legislation that would give the Capitol Police chief more authority to directly request help from the D.C. National Guard, one of 20 recommendations in their report.
"This report is important in the fact that it allows us to make some immediate improvements to the security situation here in the Capitol," Peters said. "But it does not answer some of the bigger questions that we need to face, quite frankly, as a country and as a democracy."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Spines and the rise of AI book publishers
Under The Radar New publishing venture has been roundly condemned by industry figures
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
A Man on the Inside: Netflix comedy leaves you with a 'warm fuzzy feeling'
The Week Recommends Charming series has a 'tenderness' that will 'sneak up' on you
By The Week UK Published
-
Bread & Roses: an 'extraordinarily courageous' documentary
The Week Recommends Sahra Mani's 'powerful' film examines the lives of three Afghan women under the Taliban
By The Week UK Published
-
Linda McMahon, the former wrestling mogul tapped for Department of Education
In the Spotlight Longtime Trump ally set for nomination as secretary of the agency despite limited background in the field
By David Faris Published
-
Israel and Hezbollah agree to ceasefire
Speed Read Both sides accepted an agreement brokered by the United States and France
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
What will Trump do on Day 1?
Today's Big Question Presidents often promise immediate action, but rarely deliver
By David Faris Published
-
Democrats eye a new strategy after Trump victory
The Explainer Party insiders and outside analysts are looking for a way to recapture lost working-class support
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Khan supporters converge on Islamabad
Speed Read Protesters clashing with Pakistani authorities are demanding the release of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Prosecutor drops federal cases against Trump
Speed Read Special counsel Jack Smith requested to drop the charges against President-elect Donald Trump for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
The winners and losers in Gaetz's rise and fall
The Explainer The implosion of Donald Trump's first pick to run the Department of Justice was part fluke, part feature and part forecast of the president-elect's incoming administration
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
State capture
Opinion We've seen this in other countries
By Susan Caskie Published