Per CSPAN at 915AM ET: Lt. Gen. Russel Honore, who led a security review of the U.S. Capitol, discusses security on Capitol Hill and the January 6th select committee’s investigation.
Six weeks, 16 members of the Capitol Security Review Task Force, a capitol security complex review that started while fencing was still up. There were still 25k NGs at the Cap when Honore arrived.
documentcloud.org/documents/2103…
documentcloud.org/documents/2103…
The key recs from the report that was published in March: Mobile fencing, streamlining decision making, mounted police unit at Cap, ask NG to back up USCP when requested, create quick response force for these emergencies and hire hundreds more USCP officers to fill shortfalls.
Where were the shortfalls in decision-making on Jan 6?
Honore: The threat assessment. That was severely flawed that day. There was a gap in what was seen as intelligence that the mob would come to the Cap and create violence.
Honore: The threat assessment. That was severely flawed that day. There was a gap in what was seen as intelligence that the mob would come to the Cap and create violence.
Honore: There was an assumption that they wouldn't (be violent) as opposed to listening to the chatter on the internet which, in retrospect, offered a lot of indications that they would.
Civil disturbance equipment was inadequate, Honore adds, then, the DC Metro Police "kinda saved the day coming in working in and with US Capitol Police"
One of the gaps people are still sorting through; the communication between the Cap Police, the Pentagon and the DC Guard.
One of the gaps people are still sorting through; the communication between the Cap Police, the Pentagon and the DC Guard.
What would have sped up response time that day? Honore: Giving authority to USCP to go right to Pentagon & request assistance as opposed to getting approval from the USCP Police Board.
As USCP was trying to get approval, both the House and Senate were under duress.
As USCP was trying to get approval, both the House and Senate were under duress.
Honore: We recommended the USCP chief, when he sees a high risk, he can go directly to the Pentagon and it would shorten the timeline.
Since Honore's review, funding has flowed for Cap security and the first hearing of the select committee investigating the attack has been held. What is his view of the cmte?
"I think it's a process... when they say its the most deliberative body in the world, you ain't kidding."
"I think it's a process... when they say its the most deliberative body in the world, you ain't kidding."
Honore: It became obvious from attempts to create a commission which was objected to in the Senate, to the rec to create bipartisan commission, that didn't work, and now to developing a select commission inside the house, we saw what unfolded w/that with disagreements..
Honore cont on 1/6 cmte: "...between the speaker and minority leader and we got what we got. It will still give grounds for people to come forward and answer the hard questions as committees continue to do other investigations."
Honore: This investigation as well as the DOJ's effort to find people who broke the law... the DOJ is carrying a big stake in what happened that day.
On there being only 2 GOP members on select cmte, Honore says: "It is what it is right now, I think the 2 GOP members have an interest in finding out what happened and who knew what when... This is a process we've got and this is a democracy."
Was there a request for more security?
Honore: There was a dispute as to how that happened.
Honore says it's up to the select committee to find that out. In a hearing with the former Cap police chief, he indicated he requested it and been denied.
Honore: There was a dispute as to how that happened.
Honore says it's up to the select committee to find that out. In a hearing with the former Cap police chief, he indicated he requested it and been denied.
Honore: "We will leave that to the committee to sort that out but that whole process was flawed and was not executed the way it should have been."
[Former Acting United States Secretary of Defense] Chris Miller left more questions unanswered than he left answered, so he can expect to be called back before the committee, I suspect. - Lt Gen Russel Honoré
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Honore says his personal opinion is that the Trump White House had a hand in organizing the assault on the Capitol. He says he watched the rally unfold from home and in retrospect, in watching what he saw/the news, it reminds him of an old one-liner from the army...
Honore: "Believe nothing you hear and half of what you see." So, I put that into perspective but my personal opinion is: I do think the executive branch was complicit in what happened on 1/6.
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Honore when asked whether The Capitol is a target regularly.
"It was a target on 9/11 that didn't get executed... the Capitol is targeted repetitively because it is the seat of our democracy. W/o the Capitol functioning, the democracy does not work...
"It was a target on 9/11 that didn't get executed... the Capitol is targeted repetitively because it is the seat of our democracy. W/o the Capitol functioning, the democracy does not work...
Honore: "It makes the laws and provides the funds... The Capitol is significant to the operation of our democracy and it has to be secured. Over time, the security we have been accustomed to was dealing mostly with civil disturbance..."
"Many were surprised at what we saw happen on 1/6. We missed the intelligence, we missed the chatter, to be properly prepared. We took actions after 9/11 that we were trying to replicate before the 6th, the actions included an air defense battery in Washington DC...
"Dont ask me where they are, I won't tell you. We also put 21 F15s at Andrews AFB. What we saw on 1/6, with the availability of NGs? Our soldiers are not fully mobilized to think every day that Capitol is a target to those who would want to do harm...
Honore: "...not just foreign, but domestic terrorism has risen to the point where we need to be able to mobilize immediately."
"And that is a notion we came up with in creating standing military police units that would be inside DC NG that would be available 24/7 but the congress decided they didn't want that, now they will have to work with mutual aid agreements and other police forces."
Honore: "You don't have to ask the Pentagon to get ready, you can train, mobilize and deploy and only employ if requested by the locals. This notion that we can't do anything until we're asked is just b.s.."
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