Tuesday, June 8, 2021

Public to GOP Senate: Give Us the January 6 Commission, or We Give You the Boot

Storming the Nation's Capitol
(January 6, 2021)

Overwhelming the Capitol Protectors
(January 6, 2021)

Pretty startling story here from Business Insider with this headline and key points below:

Senate panel releases scathing report about the violent and unprecedented Capitol insurrection days after GOP Senators blocked a House-approved bipartisan commission

Also, from the NY TIMES Senate background information:

The 127-page joint report, a product of more than three months of hearings and interviews and reviews of thousands of pages of documents, presents a damning portrait of the preparations and response at multiple levels. Law enforcement officials did not take seriously threats of violence it found and a dysfunctional police force at the Capitol lacked the capacity to respond effectively when those threats materialized.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Chair of the Rules and Administration Committee said: “The failures are obvious. To me, it was all summed up by one of the officers who was heard on the radio that day asking a tragically simple question: ‘Does anybody have a plan?’ Sadly, no one did.”

Law enforcement and security officers told the Senate committee investigators that they also felt abandoned, hung out to dry, and betrayed by Capitol Police leadership during the actual attack.

One officer recalled hearing a lieutenant asking multiple times over the radio: “Does anybody have a plan?”

Another officer said: “I was horrified that no deputy chief or above was on the radio or helping us. For hours the screams on the radio were horrific, the sights unimaginable, it was a total loss of control.”

Another officer told the committee: “For hours no Chief or above took command and control. Officers were begging and pleading for help for medical triage.”

The Senate document adds another layer of credibility to previous reporting on the siege, like a December 21 report that detailed users' comments on “the pro-Trump forum TheDonald.win,” in which they shared maps of the tunnels connecting buildings in the Capitol and made concrete remarks (see below).

For example, an FBI report issued the day before the riot also detailed some of the online activity as they warned: “Of a war at the Capitol.” They also shared the information with the bureau’s Norfolk, VA office citing: “Online threads that discussed specific calls for violence.”

Examples of rioters' posts calling for violence:

One said:Be ready to fight. Congress needs to hear glass breaking, doors being kicked in, and blood from their “BLM and Pantifa slave soldiers” being spilled. Get violent. Stop calling this a march, or rally, or a protest. Go there ready for war. We get our President or we die. NOTHING else will achieve this goal.”

Another said:If they don’t show up, we enter the Capitol as the Third Continental Congress and certify the Trump Electors.”

Another said: Bring guns. It's now or never. Surround every building with a tunnel entrance/exit. They better dig a tunnel all the way to China if they want to escape.”

Despite those FBI warnings, their report was never disseminated to the intelligence arm of the Capitol Police or to the agency's leadership thus leaving it unprepared to deal with the attack on January 6.

The Senate panel also determined that: “The USCP leadership did not develop a comprehensive staffing plan for that day” and concluded: “They failed to provide front-line officers with effective protective equipment or training.”

Noteworthy from CNN with this headline: “Senate report reveals new details about security failures ahead of January 6 attack but omits Trump's role.” 

 I wonder why that is.

Also from CNN Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) remarks re: The omission of Trump’s role.

My 2 cents: Good info here in the two sources and officer’s own words, plus the words of the rioters (very disturbing however). This Senate report is not the full story – thus there is a compelling need for the independent commission to find the full truth which Mitch McConnell and his mob in the Senate in essence said about that:

We do need the truth, the full story, and the public should stand up and demand it – contact your senator and tell them: “Give us a new independent January 6 now, or we will give you the boot when your reelection time comes.” 

The choice is simple. But folks this is 100% needed – regardless of the final result – the truth must always prevail.

Thanks for stopping by.


 

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