What the Massachusetts delegation is saying about the police response to the Capitol riot
"Don't tell me they handled it well."
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The all-Democratic congressional delegation has joined in unison to call for President Donald Trump’s removal from office after the Republican leader egged on supporters to storm the Capitol Building on Wednesday.
Now, some members are also turning their scrutiny toward the police force that was unable to stop the mob attack, which led to looting of congressional offices and the deaths of four people.
In a letter to House leaders Thursday night, Rep. Ayanna Pressley called for a congressional investigation into how rioters “were able to so easily breach the Capitol building in broad daylight and in clear view of the United States Capitol Police,” along with videos posted on social media showing officers “removing barriers from the Capitol grounds, taking selfies and even politely escorting terrorists out of buildings.”
“The American people deserve to know if trespassing rioters seeking to disrupt a democratic process outlined in the U.S. Constitution were at all enabled by the very people responsible for stopping them,” the Massachusetts congresswoman wrote.
Pressley, who earlier Thursday called for Congress to be reconvened to begin impeachment proceedings against Trump, said that “without a doubt, much of the blame is firmly placed at the doorstep of the White House,” adding that it was “critical that we investigate and hold him accountable for the violence and chaos that he has incited.”
However, the Boston Democrat said it was also “evident that our security apparatus and coordination with local and federal law enforcement failed to prevent the attack,” despite media coverage of plans to storm the Capitol.
She also joined the host of observers that noticed a contrast between how Capitol Police responded to the rioters Wednesday and how law enforcement often used force against the mostly peaceful racial justice protests last summer that at times turned violent.
“There is no need to speculate how the response would have been different if it were a group of mostly Black people instead of mostly White people scaling the Capitol building, breaking windows, and ravaging the halls of Congress,” Pressley wrote.
Her comments echoed a tweet Wednesday by Rep. Katherine Clark, the assistant House speaker and fellow Massachusetts Democrat, who questioned why violent Trump supporters were simply “allowed to leave,” after tear gas was used on entirely peaceful racial justice protesters near the White House last summer.
“The difference is skin color,” Clark wrote.
This summer peaceful protesters demanding racial justice were tear gased and arrested.
Today, a seditious mob stormed the Capitol and then was allowed to leave.
The difference is skin color.
— Katherine Clark (@WhipKClark) January 7, 2021
Rep. Stephen Lynch told the Brockton Enterprise that he was “surprised” how easily the mob was able to enter the Capitol, adding that it was “a matter of leadership of instruction.”
“They were rolled over and the protesters went right past them and there was no resistance offered by the police,” said Lynch, another member of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform who called for the response to be investigated.
Sen. Ed Markey also called for an investigation Thursday into what he called “a severe and systemic failure in securing the Capitol from Trump’s mob.”
There was a severe and systemic failure in securing the Capitol from Trump’s mob. We need an investigation into how armed rioters were able to breach both the perimeter and the building itself and we need to hold accountable those who allowed this insurrection to occur.
— Ed Markey (@EdMarkey) January 7, 2021
Amid the mounting criticism, Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund defended his officers, who he said Thursday acted “valiantly” in the face of violent attacks. However, Sunder later announced he would resign next week amid calls to do so from both the Capitol Police union and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The criticism has increasingly focused on the force’s leadership for not preparing adequate staff to match the siege, which had been discussed publicly among Trump’s most loyal supporters on social media and online forums for weeks. The Associated Press reported Thursday evening that Capitol Police repeatedly rejected offers of federal help.
During a GBH radio interview, Rep. Seth Moulton said that he has “never had confidence in the Capitol Police” and “never” saw them as a “professional police force,” based on his own experience as a Marine.
“Of course, there are some heroic members of the Capitol Police,” Moulton said. “But as a force I do not have confidence in them. And throughout the day yesterday, I could see that they were under-resourced, perhaps improperly trained, certainly not up to the task at hand.”
The Salem congressman acknowledged there was “perhaps” some validity in the argument that police were trying to avoid further dangerous escalation with the rioters, many of whom were armed.
“But at the end of the day, they allowed the U.S. Capitol to be breached for the first time since the War of 1812,” he said. “So don’t tell me they handled it well.”
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