New findings in a bipartisan Senate investigation released Tuesday show that U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) had specific intelligence about the potential storming of the Capitol on January 6th that failed to reach front-line officers, according to the Washington Post.
According to the outlet, the Capitol Police and partner agencies prepared for the “Stop the Steal” protest “as though it were a routine Trump rally, instead of the organized assault that was planned in the open online.”
In the joint report from the Senate Rules and Administration and the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committees, an intelligence arm of the Capitol Police labeled the threat of violence “remote” and “improbable,” despite evidence that protestors intended to bring weapons and “storm the Capitol.”
The report states that the U.S. Capitol Police did not prepare a department-wide plan in anticipation of the protest or a comprehensive staffing plan, nor did the USCP formally request D.C. National Guard assistance prior to January 6.
In response to the Senate report, the U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement that “at no point prior to the 6th did it receive actionable intelligence about a large-scale attack.”
The report comes two weeks after Republicans blocked the formation of an independent commission to investigate the attack more broadly.