An internal Capitol Police report on the January 6 incident revealed extensive security failures on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) watch.
Dated June 4, the report shows sweeping mistakes from the department that include delayed mobilization of specialized civil disturbance units and the dismantling of an intelligence unit that tracked threats on social media, according to the report obtained by Just the News.
The report specifically reveals the Capitol Police had received intelligence reports from agencies like the FBI warning that violence could occur on January 6. But those intelligence reports were not properly embodied into an operational plan before January 6.
“The assessment for 1/6 contained a BLUF [bottom line up front] that did not express the severity of the threat or the fact that USCP [U.S. Capitol Police] actually had knowledge of a plan in place,” the report reads. “The statement that protesters may be armed was included, but it was never expressed with the urgency that they planned to overtake the Capitol and target Members of Congress.”
The intelligence failure was made worse by Pelosi’s decision to disassemble the police department’s intelligence unit that tracked threats on social media. The chatter on social media before January 6 might have alerted the police to the potential seriousness of the protest.
“The social media unit was immediately and essentially dismantled under the new leadership,” the report said. “New office reassignments and steering away from the concepts of having subject matter experts may have contributed to the tragedy.”
“Individuals with the most experience extrapolating open-source material were not tasked with reviewing social media to glean intel related to the event,” the report stated.
As Pelosi failed at her task of protecting the Capitol, Trump had taken action to secure the area. Former Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller testified before Congress in 2021 that Donald Trump authorized National Guard Troops to secure the area around the Capitol. Just the News reported Trump wanted 20,000 troops, but Congress rejected the request.
“Do whatever is necessary to protect demonstrators that were executing their constitutionally protected rights,” Miller testified Trump told him.
The report comes as the January 6 Committee will begin to conduct public hearings Thursday night. The made-for-television event will last about 90 minutes and include testimony from a filmmaker who was following the Proud Boys on January 6.
An August poll revealed 58 percent of voters believe the January 6 Committee is biased toward Democrats. Only 45 percent of Americans find Trump responsible for the protest, a decline of 7 points since January 2021, according to an NBC News poll.
