The Capitol Police were warned – days before the deadly January 6th insurrection – that Donald Trump supporters could turn violent and attack the Capitol. They decided not to use their most powerful nonlethal tools against the rioters, and their shields were defective because they were improperly stored.
Those are the damning conclusions from a new report – titled “Review of the Events Surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, Takeover of the U.S. Capitol” – by the Capitol Police Inspector General, Michael A. Bolton. The report was first reported on by CNN, then viewed by several other media outlets.
Three days before the siege, a Capitol Police intelligence assessment warned of violence from supporters of President Donald J. Trump who believed his false claims that the election had been stolen. Some had even posted a map of the Capitol complex’s tunnel system on pro-Trump message boards.
“Congress itself is the target,” the assessment warned. NPR provides more details:
“Supporters of the current president see January 6, 2021, as the last opportunity to overturn the results of the presidential election,” the analysis said in one section, according to Bolton’s report. “This sense of desperation and disappointment may lead to more of an incentive to become violent.”
The intelligence assessment also said that white supremacists, militia members, and “others who actively promote violence” could create a “dangerous situation.” It referred to posts on pro-Trump message boards that “promote confronting members of Congress and carrying firearms during the protest.”
The New York Times highlights one such post relayed to the Capitol Police by the FBI on January 5th :
“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,” the message read. “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.”
Yet, in a January 5th plan on how to handle the ‘Stop the Steal’ rally, the Capitol Police wrote that there are “no specific known threats related to the joint session of Congress.”
In addition, officers on the scene were prevented from using the full range of nonlethal weapons against the insurrectionists. More from The New York Times:
“The problems were compounded when department leadership directed the unit not to use some of its most powerful crowd-control tools — such as stun grenades — that rank-and-file officers later said they believed would have helped fight the crowds that eventually overtook them and broke into the building.”
The Capitol Police were also hamstrung by faulty equipment and inadequate training, according to the report, which led to “operating at a decreased level of readiness.” CNN explains:
Even equipment maintenance appeared to be a low priority. The summary shows the CDU shields were not stored in the correct temperature, rendering them ineffective, while some ammunition in the armory was expired.
Several of the improperly stored shields “shattered upon impact,” according to the report. Other shields were locked on a bus as frantic police officers were desperate to use anything to protect themselves.
Bolton, Capitol Police Inspector General, is expected to answer questions on the report at a congressional hearing on Thursday.
