And now, the questions. And there are many. Officials of the Justice Department’s internal watchdog on Friday announced they are conducting a probe into how the DOJ prepared for and responded to the storming and seizure of the U.S. Capitol on January 6.
The DOJ IG says it will investigate how DOJ prepared for and responded to last week’s insurrection
It will examine whether information was shared by the Justice Department to other agencies, including the Capitol Police, about the potential for violence. https://t.co/YWsR2dsPEY
— Ariana Pekary (@arianapekary) January 15, 2021
As reported by Fox News, Inspector General Michael Horowitz said his office’s review will “examine the role and activity of [the] Department of Justice and its components in preparing for and responding to the events.”
“The DOJ OIG review will include examining information relevant to the January 6 events that was available to DOJ and its components in advance of January 6; the extent to which such information was shared by DOJ and its components with the U.S. Capitol Police and other federal, state, and local agencies; and the role of DOJ personnel in responding to the events at the U.S. Capitol on January 6.
“[The review will] also will assess whether there are any weaknesses in DOJ protocols, policies, or procedures that adversely affected the ability of DOJ or its components to prepare effectively for and respond to the events at the U.S. Capitol …”
As reported by the Associated Press on Friday, the DOJ IG probe is one of several inspector general reviews being conducted in the wake of last week’s Capitol chaos.
Investigators at the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, Defense and Interior each plan to review their agencies’ response amid questions about delays in calling for assistance as U.S. Capitol Police were outnumbered by pro-Trump rioters. https://t.co/armJ0Tm4VH
— 𝚁𝚎𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚌𝚊 𝙱𝚎𝚒𝚝𝚜𝚌𝚑 (@RebeccaBeitsch) January 15, 2021
Via AP:
Federal watchdogs launched a sweeping review of how the FBI, the Pentagon, and other law enforcement agencies responded to the riot at the U.S. Capitol, including whether there were failures in information sharing and other preparations that left the historic symbol of democracy vulnerable to assault […].
The inquiries, undertaken by the inspectors general for the departments of Justice, Homeland Security, Interior, and Defense […] come as failings in the government’s preparation, coordination, and response are coming into sharper focus more than a week after the riot.
The Capitol Police, for instance, has said it had prepared for only First Amendment activity at the Capitol on the day that lawmakers had assembled to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. (That is significant, as you’ll see in a minute.)
According to AP, a Pentagon spokesman said the Capitol Police turned down an offer of help — days before the riot. As the mayhem unfolded on the day of the event and it became clear that help would be needed, said AP, the Defense Department was forced to scramble to bring in a larger force to back up the police.
There had been plenty of warnings. Plenty of time to prepare. Plenty of money to do it. But twice the Capitol Police turned down offers of assistance – once three days before the pro-Trump riot at the Capitol and again as the mob descended on the building. https://t.co/XR3Yr8yAvc
— The Associated Press (@AP) January 8, 2021
Also according to AP, an FBI official who initially said there was no intelligence suggesting out-of-control violence later acknowledged that the bureau was aware of a warning on an internet message board, though the official said the message was not attributable to an individual person.
Additionally, the FBI conceded that one of its field offices compiled an internal bulletin that warned of potential violence aimed at Congress.
While I’m not a noted law enforcement expert like LeBron James [sarc], I do have a few questions. But unlike King James, I will not pull a conclusion out of my hamstring and rush to a predisposed conclusion.
Why was the warning not pursued? Or was it pursued, to no avail?
Yet, an FBI field office took the warning(s) seriously enough to compile an internal bulletin, warning of potential violence against congressional lawmakers.
In any case, should not the Capitol Police Department— at least — have been made aware of the warning? And should the department have prepared accordingly? Or were they warned, but dismissed the warning?
Questions abound. Will answers?
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