WASHINGTON – Representative Larry Bucshon, M.D. (R-Ind.-08) released the following statement after House Republicans published a new study outlining Speaker Pelosi’s failure to secure the Capitol prior to the events of January 6, 2021.
“There is no doubt that January 6, 2021 was a dark day in our nation’s history. It is unfortunate that House Democrats’ investigation has turned out to be nothing more than a taxpayer-funded partisan committee aimed at scoring political wins. However, this report showing that Speaker Pelosi and House Democrat leadership were firmly in charge of decisions regarding the safety and security of all individuals in the Capitol on January 6th should have been a big focus on the events of the day so that we could have learned from the planning and security failures that took place that day. When Republicans take majority of the House at the start of the new year, we will fulfill our Commitment to America to hold our government accountable and that starts with demanding accountability for those that actually made the decisions regarding security at the Capitol on January 6th,” said Dr. Bucshon.
The Speaker of the House and Democrat leadership were closely involved in security decisions in the lead up to and on January 6, 2021.
The House Sergeant at Arms took direction from staff in the office of the Speaker of the House and intentionally excluded Republicans from key meetings and conversations related to House security.
Staff within the House Sergeant at Arms office emailed Paul Irving that January 6th was Pelosi’s fault.
Widespread concern from Democrat leadership over “optics” in the aftermath of summer 2020.
The Leadership of the Intelligence and Interagency Coordination Division overhauled the division in the weeks before January 6, 2021 and created new processes for obtaining and assessing intelligence data. Those changes caused confusion and rendered key USCP components ineffective during a critical period.
The House Sergeant at Arms was compromised by politics in the lead up to and on January 6, 2021 and did not adequately prepare the Capitol for possible violence.
U.S. Capitol police did not give officers the appropriate training necessary to prepare them to protect the Capitol from violence.
The U.S. Capitol police does not have the equipment necessary to protect its officers.
The command-and-control structure of the U.S. Capitol Police and the Capitol Police Board contributed to unnecessary delays in the decision-making on January 6, 2021.
The U.S. Capitol police has still not implemented important recommendations issued by oversight bodies.
