2 Capitol Police Officers Suspended, 1 Arrested Amid Investigation Into Cooperation With Mob
Washington DC January 15 2021 At least two U.S. Capitol Police officers have been suspended and one has been arrested for interactions with President Donald Trump’s supporters who violently stormed the U.S. Capitol last week, a House lawmaker said Monday as speculation persists that elements of the police force tasked with protecting Congress may have cooperated with the assailants.
“We have to reestablish trust with the Capitol Police because of what happened,” Rep. Tim Ryan told reporters Monday afternoon. “So many members of Congress and society writ large feel betrayed [and] let down by what happened.”
The Ohio Democrat and chairman of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee of the powerful Appropriations Committee offered troubling details about his recent inquiries into the security failures that led to the stunning breach last week, prompting the resignation of the Capitol Police chief and the top security officers for the House and Senate.
The Defense Department and D.C. local government also remain under intense scrutiny for why they didn’t do more to stage the D.C. National Guard and other support staff to prepare for a violent protest that was planned for weeks.
Ryan cited viral footage that appears to show Capitol Police officers posing for selfies with members of the mob and at least one who appeared to don a signature Trump supporter “Make America Great Again” red hat before addressing the protesters. The congressman declined to offer further details citing ongoing investigations.
“The main issue here is if something was related to Jan. 6 or before [that] can help us prepare for the inauguration, we want to deal with that,” Ryan said. “We need to flesh that out and find out who may have been involved in that.”
Initial investigations show at least “some level of coordination” among the rioters, he added, citing the reports of pipe bombs at the Republican and Democratic national committee headquarters near the Capitol that successfully drew attention away from the breach of the main building as it transpired.
Five people died as a result of the protests, including a woman fatally shot by police as she tried to force her way into the building, and Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who was assaulted by protesters and later collapsed. Another officer, Howard Liebengood, who contributed to the response, subsequently died while off duty. The Associated Press later reported that two sources indicated his death was an apparent suicide.
Steven Sund, the chief of the U.S. Capitol Police, resigned last week following calls for him to step down by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, and other leaders in Congress. The sergeants-at-arms for the House and Senate also resigned.
Trump in December first called for the protest against Congress’ certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in November, saying on Twitter it would be “wild.” The president held a rally roughly a mile away near the White House as Congress convened to vote on Wednesday in which he told the crowd, “We will never give up. We will never concede. It will never happen. You don’t concede when there’s theft involved. Our country has had enough. We will not take it anymore.””
He concluded by encouraging them to “walk down Pennsylvania Avenue,” which connects the White House with Capitol Hill.
