"The events of January 6th were horrific, and our bipartisan investigation identified many unacceptable, widespread breakdowns in security preparations and emergency response related to this attack," Sen. Gary Peters, a Democrat, said.
The storming interrupted a session that was about to certify Joe Biden’s presidential win, sending lawmakers scurrying for shelter as rioters entered the hallways and offices of Congress people.
In their 128-page joint report, the Senate Rules and Homeland Security committees established that the FBI, DHS and the US Capitol Police (USCP)’s intelligence office knew about preparations for violence weeks ahead of the attack — including the sharing of Capitol tunnel plans online — but they failed to convey the full scope of threat information they possessed to the USCP leadership.
As the attack unfolded, the USCP command system broke down spectacularly, leaving front-line officers without information or instructions, while senior officers were directly engaged with rioters and USCP leadership never took control of the radio system.
As one officer noted, "For hours the screams on the radio were horrific[,] the sights were unimaginable[,] and there was a complete loss of control… For hours NO Chief or above took command and control. Officers were begging and pleading for help for medical triage."
Officers said they did not recall hearing USCP chief Steven Sund on the radio at any point during the attack and only heard his deputy, Yogananda Pittman, once — when she ordered a lockdown of the Capitol building.