The Capitol Police force employs approximately 2,300 sworn officers and civilians who are all charged with protecting Congress: members, employees, visitors, and property. On Wednesday, they were overrun.
Since its completion, the Capitol has become internationally recognized as a profound symbol of its people and its government. This legislative nerve center was a magnet for those seeking to voice their grievances and usher change. It was a familiar and frequent setting for Vietnam War and civil rights protests, human rights protests, and myriad other issues of concern expressed through lawful protest. But the Capitol’s significance on the world’s stage, as well as it being a centralized complex for the nation’s lawmakers, made it attractive for those seeking to do the country or its legislators harm.
As once a member of Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert’s security detail at the Capitol Police, as well as a former FBI agent who participated in the investigation of the mass shooting that targeted Rep. Gabby Giffords and injured or killed numerous others in Tucson, I can speak from experience as to the high volume of physical threats faced by the nation’s federal elected officials.
On Wednesday, the Capitol was breached and occupied by individuals seeking to disrupt Congress. Tragically, five people, including a former Air Force veteran and a Capitol Police officer, died. Chilling videos and images flooded social media memorializing the shocking protest-turned-insurrection.
President John F. Kennedy once paraphrased Dante when he said, “The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in periods of moral crisis, maintain their neutrality.” But what happens when you have two diametrically opposed sides seeing themselves in the middle of a moral crisis and both believing they are the moral authority responsible for taking action? I suspect you get something similar to what we see in the country today.
The rioting in cities across the country last year, coupled with a lack of accountability for those involved, may have given the Capitol rioters the impression they were equally justified in using chaos and violence to achieve their desired end. Unfortunately, they were all wrong.
A majority of the protesters-turned-mob likely came to Washington with good intentions and no ill will or ill intent toward Capitol Police officers or the congressional members and their staff. They merely wanted to voice their grievances. But a mob is a fickle thing. As Washington Examiner contributor and former FBI agent James Gagliano pointed out on Dave Briggs TV, “Mobs move as an amorphous organism. So, one or two people, or their words, can incite that organism to start moving wholly, and people do things that they normally wouldn’t do.”
There will be vigorous debate around where to place the blame properly for the protest turning into a riotous mob, but I will leave that war for the enthusiastic political types to wage upon one another.
The larger questions surround reconciling the Capitol Police’s efforts to secure what is supposed to be one of the most fortified buildings in the country. This is not a criticism of the men and women of the Capitol Police who showed immense bravery and resolve against a violent crowd for which they were no match. Rather, it’s a question about the appropriateness of the agency’s preparation and security posture given the volume of intelligence suggesting a massive crowd was expected to convene at the Capitol.
Was it an issue of politics interfering with police work (an underappreciated influence on Capitol Police operations) or poor tactical planning? There will, no doubt, be a robust investigation into the decisions leading to this historic breach and occupation, followed inevitably by aggressive changes in procedure. Unfortunately, these changes will come after great cost to the country and to the individuals and families most affected by the day.
According to a statement made by Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund (who is resigning effective Jan. 16), two separate explosive devices were discovered, and more than 50 Capitol Police and Washington Metropolitan Police Department officers sustained injuries, with several requiring hospitalization. The officers were attacked by metal pipes and other objects. Late on Thursday, it was announced that Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick succumbed to injuries sustained while engaging with protesters.
In total, five individuals lost their lives during this violent uprising and brief occupation of the Capitol.
A video that appears to show the tragic shooting death of Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt has made its way around social media. She was with other Trump supporters who had stormed the Capitol when she was shot while trying to enter a secure area through a broken window. As is always the case, many have opined as to the legitimacy and righteousness of the shooting. However, it is difficult to say with any degree of certainty that the videos released in the public sufficiently reveal all there is to know about the details leading up to and surrounding the shooting. Again, a top-to-bottom investigation will be conducted to determine whether or not the shooting was justified, and we can only hope that whatever the outcome, justice is served with complete transparency.
Law enforcement was eventually able to secure the Capitol, and Congress reconvened to count the Electoral College votes.
Some consternation has been expressed over the Capitol Police’s handling of the rioters when clearing the Capitol, given the limited number of arrests. But considering the totality of the circumstances, it was likely reasonable and prudent not to agitate an already volatile situation further, particularly given the well-recorded video history of the event. In fact, the FBI has already started a tip line and digital depository for video in an effort to identify those involved in criminal activity.
The accountability of high-level government officials, so far, has been swift. The House sergeant at arms, Paul Irving, and the Senate sergeant at arms, Michael Stenger, both members of the three-person Capitol Police board responsible for security in their respective chambers, have resigned, as well as the aforementioned Sund.
The vices of politics have caused immense suffering in the country over the last several years, and Wednesday felt like a culmination of that suffering. But for the five families who lost loved ones on Wednesday, their suffering has just begun.
Jeff Cortese, a financial crimes manager in the private sector, is the former acting chief of the FBI’s Public Corruption Unit. Before his 11-year career with the bureau, he worked as a dignitary protection agent with the U.S. Capitol Police and served on the security detail for the speaker of the House. Follow him on Twitter @jeffreycortese or find him at www.jeffcortese.com.
