Today, the Senate Homeland Security Committee and the Senate Rules Committee will hold a joint hearing on the security failures that contributed to the breach of the U.S. Capitol on January 6 by pro-Trump rioters.
The hearings will take place over three days, starting at 10 a.m. EST Tuesday.
Check back tomorrow for live coverage of the events.
Tuesday, February 22:
Who: Leaders from U.S. Capitol Police and D.C. Police (including acting MPD Chief Robert Contee), as well as the former sergeants-at-arms of the House and Senate.
Focus: The role of leadership during the insurrection and the resulting security measures. U.S. Capitol police chief Steven Sund, House sergeant-at-arms Paul Irving, and Senate sergeant-at-arms Michael Stenger all resigned following the attacks. The committee will ask them to testify on their actions during the riots, including the decision not to call in the National Guard.
KEY QUOTES & MOMENTS
Robert Contee, chief of Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department:
“I was stunned at the response from Department of the Army."
Former House Sergeant-at-Arms Paul Irving:
“Certain media reports have stated that ‘optics’ determined my judgment about using those National Guard troops. That is categorically false."
“‘Optics’ as portrayed in the media did not determine our security posture; safety was always paramount when evaluating security for Jan. 6.”
“We now know we had the wrong plan,” Irving added.
Former House Sergeant-at-Arms Paul Irving:
"Based on the intelligence, we all believed that the plan met the threat and that we were prepared," he said.
"We now know that we had the wrong plan. As one of the senior security leaders responsible for that event, I am accountable for that. I accept that responsibility, and as you know, I have resigned my position."
Former U.S. Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund:
"A clear lack of accurate and complete intelligence across several federal agencies contributed to this event, and not poor planning by the United States Capitol Police. We rely on accurate information from our federal partners to help us develop effective security plans."
"None of the intelligence we received predicted what actually occurred."
Former U.S. Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund:
"The events I witnessed on Jan. 6 was the worst attack on law enforcement and our democracy that I've seen in my entire career," Sund said in his opening remarks.
"These criminals came prepared for war. They came with their own radio system to coordinate the attack, in climbing gear and other equipment to defeat the capital's security features. I'm sickened by what I witnessed that day."
