FBI and DHS failed at a 'fundamental level' prior to Jan. 6, Senate finds

A Senate report released Tuesday concluded that the FBI and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ignored and downplayed intelligence warnings in the leadup to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. The report officially places part of the blame for the attack on these agencies, nearly two and a half years after it occurred.

The report, produced by the Senate Homeland Security Committee, described specific examples in which the FBI and DHS missed numerous red flags in the weeks prior to Jan. 6. The report says these agencies "failed to fully and accurately assess the severity of the threat identified by that intelligence, and formally disseminate guidance to their law enforcement partners...to enable those partners to prepare for the violence that ultimately occurred."

"At a fundamental level, the agencies failed to fulfill their mission and connect the public and nonpublic information they received," the report notes, adding that internal agency documents "demonstrate the breadth and gravity of the threats these agencies received related to Jan. 6th."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

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.

Sign up

Despite numerous online posts containing threatening rhetoric, the report alleges, the FBI and DHS downplayed these threats and told law enforcement to prepare for a typical rally. This includes a warning that members of the far-right Proud Boys were planning to kill people in Washington, D.C., as well as a social media post sent to the FBI saying, "This is not a rally and it's no longer a protest. This is a final stand where we are drawing the red line."

While prior reporting from The Washington Post shed light on agency failures prior to Jan. 6, this report directly places part of the blame for the attack on the FBI and DHS. In a statement following the report, the FBI defended its handling of threats, while DHS said it was conducting an internal review.