New audio, video from the Jan. 6 Capitol riot show how D.C. police buckled under hostile horde

Capitol riot from D.C. police point of view
(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/The New York Times)

The House voted last week to award the Congressional Medal of Honor to the Capitol Police for their efforts to protect the Capitol and members of Congress from the violent mob on Jan. 6. But the resolution, opposed by 12 Republicans, would also award Congress' highest honor to the D.C. Metropolitan Police (MPD), which quickly answered the Capitol Police's call for backup.

On Sunday, The New York Times published a video with new audio from the MPD, highlighting the role the D.C. police played in defending the Capitol. The video focuses on police radio communications from Inspector Robert Glover, "a high-ranking MPD veteran who specializes in crowd control and high-stakes confrontations," synched to video of the assault. The video is not for the faint-hearted.

U.S. Attorney Michael Sherwin, who oversaw the federal investigation into the Jan. 6 siege until Friday, told CBS's 60 Minutes that nearly 400 people who breached the Capitol have already been charged, and the arrests are "not at all" over. "Why were the rioters allowed to leave without arrest?" 60 Minutes' Scott Pelley asked on Sunday's broadcast.

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"Look, I can't speak for those officers," Sherwin said. "It was armed combat both inside and outside the Capitol — literally — and the cases prove that. And I think the first objective was officer safety and, obviously, the safety of the congresspeople within the Capitol. Objective No. 2, I believe, was to clear the grounds to ensure that the count could continue. The third objective, I believe, was seen as law enforcement, and therefore, I think, a lot of people were able to escape or leave. But look, again, nine weeks out, 400 people charged, so we're making up that ground."

Sherwin also explained why the alleged rioters probably won't be able to get off by saying they were just following former President Donald Trump's orders. Peter Weber

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Peter Weber, The Week US

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.