WASHINGTON — Senator Klobuchar, Chairwoman of the Senate Rules Committee, issued the following statement following the bipartisan joint hearing held by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and Rules Committees with witnesses including officials responsible for Capitol security ahead of the January 6th attack:

“When an angry violent mob staged an insurrection on January 6th and desecrated our Capitol — the temple of our democracy — it was not just an attack on the building, it was an attack on our Republic itself.

“In today’s hearing, we got answers to many key questions — and those answers will help guide us to solutions. We learned more about how the insurrection of January 6th was deliberate and planned, involving white supremacists and extremist groups. And it could have been so much worse if not for the bravery of many Capitol Police officers and other law enforcement.

“We were told about the intelligence breakdowns. Specifically we learned about the FBI Norfolk Field Office report that detailed specific calls for violence online in connection with January 6, including that protestors ‘be ready to fight’ and go there ‘ready for war’ never made it to senior leadership in the Capitol Police and the House and Senate Sergeant at Arms, let alone the line officers protecting the building.

“We heard about how delays in approving a request for National Guard assistance, both from the Capitol Police Board and the Department of Defense, cost critical moments, and left Capitol Police and other law enforcement to fend for themselves in the face of a violent insurrection. These revelations, among others, laid bare the clear need to reform the Capitol Police Board.

“While we made progress today, this is not the end of our quest for answers. Next week, we will hear from witnesses from federal agencies — including the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Defense — that are critical to our understanding of what happened this day and what changes need to be made to ensure it never occurs again.” 

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