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NEW per NYT:
Holy smokes:
IG report says USCP were told BEFORE the 1/6 insurrection that “Congress itself is the target.” but were told "by their leaders" not to use aggressive tactics with the mob
Thread: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/13/us/politics/capitol-police-riot-report.html?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nytimes
Holy smokes:
IG report says USCP were told BEFORE the 1/6 insurrection that “Congress itself is the target.” but were told "by their leaders" not to use aggressive tactics with the mob
Thread: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/13/us/politics/capitol-police-riot-report.html?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nytimes
2-"The Capitol Police had clearer advance warnings about the Jan. 6 attack than were previously known, including the potential for violence in which “Congress itself is the target.”
3-"But officers were instructed by their leaders not to use their most aggressive tactics to hold off the mob, according to a scathing new report by the agency’s internal investigator.
4-"In a 104-page document, the inspector general, Michael A. Bolton, criticized the way the Capitol Police prepared for and responded to the mob violence on Jan. 6. The report was reviewed by The New York Times and will be the subject of a Capitol Hill hearing on Thursday.
5-"Bolton found that the agency’s leaders failed to adequately prepare despite explicit warnings that pro-Trump extremists posed a threat to law enforcement and civilians and that the police used defective protective equipment.
6-"He also found that the leaders ordered their Civil Disturbance Unit to refrain from using its most powerful crowd-control tools — like stun grenades — to put down the onslaught.
7-"Three days before the siege, a Capitol Police intelligence assessment warned of violence from supporters of Trump who believed his false claims that the election had been stolen. Some had even posted a map of the Capitol complex’s tunnel system on pro-Trump message boards
8-"'Unlike previous postelection protests, the targets of the pro-Trump supporters are not necessarily the counterprotesters as they were previously, but rather Congress itself is the target on the 6th,' the threat assessment said, according to the inspector general’s report.
9-"'Stop the Steal’s propensity to attract white supremacists, militia members, and others who actively promote violence may lead to a significantly dangerous situation for law enforcement and the general public alike.'
10-"But on Jan. 5, the agency wrote in a plan for the protest that there were “no specific known threats related to the joint session of Congress.” & former chief of the Capitol Police has testified that the force had determined that the likelihood of violence was “improbable.”
11-"Mr. Bolton concluded such intelligence breakdowns stemmed from dysfunction within the agency and called for “guidance that clearly documents channels for efficiently and effectively disseminating intelligence information to all of its personnel.”
12-"That failure conspired with other lapses inside the Capitol Police force to create a dangerous situation on Jan. 6, according to his account. T
13-"he agency’s Civil Disturbance Unit, which specializes in handling large groups of protesters, was not allowed to use some of its most powerful tools and techniques against the crowd, on the orders of supervisors.
14"'Heavier, less-lethal weapons,' including stun grenades, “were not used that day because of orders from leadership,” Mr. Bolton wrote. Officials on duty on Jan. 6 told him that such equipment could have helped the police to “push back the rioters.”
15-"Mr. Bolton’s findings are scheduled to be discussed on Thursday afternoon, when he is set to testify before the House Administration Committee. He has issued two investigative reports —
16-"both classified as “law enforcement sensitive” and not publicly released — about the agency’s shortcomings on Jan. 6. He is also planning a third report" ~excerpts NYT
17-And here are the Key Findings of IG Bolton's report to be presented to Congress during Thursday's House Admin comm meeting: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/13/us/politics/capitol-riot-police-report.html
