WASHINGTON:The chief of the U.S. Capitol Police will resign, according to media reports on Thursday, a day after the federal force charged with protecting Congress was unable to keep supporters of Republican President Donald Trump from storming the building.
House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi had called on Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund to step down after officers in the 2,000-member force fell back as crowds advanced on Wednesday.
That enabled Trump supporters angry about his election defeat to invade the halls of Congress to disrupt certification of Democratic President-elect Joe Biden's victory. Other officers fought to keep lawmakers and staff safe.
The Capitol Police did not immediately respond to inquiries about the reports of Sund's resignation.
CNN reported on Thursday that a Capitol Police officer had died following the riot, the fifth person to die in the incident.
Washington's federal prosecutor said he would charge any Capitol Police officers found to be complicit in allowing protesters into the building, and lawmakers vowed to open an investigation into the department.
"Many of our Capitol Police just acted so bravely and with such concern for the staff, the members, for the Capitol ... and they deserve our gratitude. But there was a failure at the top of the Capitol Police," said Pelosi, a Democrat, in calling for Sund's resignation.
She said that Paul Irving, the House sergeant at arms, would resign. Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer said he would fire Michael Stenger, the Senate sergeant at arms, as soon as runoff elections in Georgia for two seats are certified and Democrats control the Senate.
Trump supporters ransacked legislators' offices, stole computers and documents, and left threatening messages as they roamed the building for hours in a rampage that left four people dead: one shot by police and three who died of medical emergencies.
The crowd racing through the building - with Trump flags and his signature red hats - stood in sharp contrast to the response to anti-racism protests this summer. At that time, the White House was surrounded by multiple blocks of buffer, and law enforcement officers used tear gas, projectiles and at one point the downward blast of a helicopter rotor to push back protesters.
In comparison, the streets around the Capitol were open on Wednesday morning, and scatterings of Capitol Police stood at low metal barriers resembling bicycle racks.
District of Columbia Councilman Charles Allen, who represents the area around Capitol Hill, called that contrast particularly jarring.
"They were overrun and, in many cases, appear to have completely opened the gates, snapped selfies," Allen said. "By the time they called D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, it was too late."
A House Democratic aide, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the investigation would focus on what intelligence was available in the run-up to the riot, how decisions were made and why the perimeter of the Capitol was not more secure.
The aide said some protesters were found carrying zip ties. Those heavy-duty plastic ties are often used to handcuff people, and could indicate an intent to kidnap members of Congress.
"Taxpayers deserve to know why ... it took only an hour for a handful of ragamuffin protesters to enter the building and pose a threat to the continuity of democracy," Senator Chris Murphy, the top Democrat on the Senate subcommittee overseeing the Capitol Police, told reporters.
'WHY ARE THEY NOT COMING?'
Pelosi joined dozens of House members in the safe room where they sheltered after protesters battered the doors of their chamber on Wednesday, and told them she had received a steady stream of calls asking why reinforcements had not been dispatched more quickly.
"Why are they not coming now? Almost a constant flow of calls," Pelosi said. "That is something to review."
Pelosi and other lawmakers also praised the Capitol Police for protecting their staff and journalists. Many officers were injured.
Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell called the breach a "shocking failure."
Capitol Police did not respond to inquiries about why they had not cordoned off the area or brought in more support officers ahead of the protests, which Trump himself urged to be "wild."
The acting U.S. attorney for Washington, Michael Sherwin, told a news briefing that any Capitol Police officer found complicit in the breach of the building would be charged.
Sherwin declined to answer a question about why Capitol Police did not detain people as soon as they attempted to get into the building. "That's a concern and that's made our job difficult," he said.
The FBI sought the public's help in identifying the rioters. Some of the 68 people arrested after Wednesday's incidents were due in court on Thursday.
On Thursday, crews installed 7foot (2-m ) fencing around the Capitol. Police said they had been instructed not to talk to reporters.
Prior to reports of his resignation, Sund in a statement said the officer who fatally shot Ashli Babbitt, who was among a group of Trump supporters trying to force their way into the House chamber, was on administrative leave while the shooting is investigated.
Sund said his officers "responded valiantly" when demonstrators attacked them with "metal pipes, discharged chemical irritants and took up other weapons." They also faced two pipe bombs.
A senior administration official said the Capitol Police had rejected Defense Department offers of additional training from before Wednesday.
"There was concern about having too much of a militarized presence, but this was about training and how to set up the perimeters and a layered defense, and they turned that down too," said the official, who requested anonymity.
Reuters
Fri Jan 08 2021
!['Failure at the top:' After US Capitol stormed, security chiefs out 'Failure at the top:' After US Capitol stormed, security chiefs out](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2021-01/61610077467_Capitol.jpg)
National Guard members walk behind a fence installed in front of the U.S. Capitol, a day after supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump occupied the Capitol building, in Washington, U.S. January 7, 2021. REUTERS/Stephanie Keith
10 Berita Pilihan - (15 Ogos 2024)
Antara pelbagai berita dalam dan luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.
Pasukan PBB lawat Bangladesh, siasat pembunuhan protes pelajar
Pasukan penyiasat Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu (PBB) akan melawat Bangladesh minggu depan untuk menyiasat ratusan kematian semasa protes yang diketuai pelajar baru-baru ini, menurut pegawai badan dunia itu pada Khamis.
Gempa bumi bermagnitud 5.7 gegar timur laut Taiwan
Gempa bumi berukuran 5.7 skala richter melanda daerah Timur Laut Taiwan pada Khamis.
Angka kematian di Gaza cecah 40,000 individu
Pasukan tentera Israel melakukan tiga pembunuhan beramai-ramai terhadap keluarga-keluarga di Semenanjung Gaza dalam tempoh 24 jam lepas, mengakibatkan sekurang-kurangnya 40 rakyat Palestin terbunuh dan 107 lagi cedera, menurut sumber perubatan.
Jepun tamatkan amaran gempa bumi mega
Dalam tempoh berjaga-jaga, Agensi Meteorologi Jepun tidak melihat sebarang pergerakan gempa bumi yang luar biasa atau kerak bumi.
Rakyat UK terancam dengan imigran rampas peluang pekerjaan
Bimbang golongan imigran akan merampas peluang peluang pekerjaan menjadikan rakyat United KIngdom terutamanya mereka yang mempunyai masalah ekonomi melihat imigran sebagai satu ancaman.
Parti Pheu Thai pilih anak perempuan Thaksin calon PM
Paetongtarn, 37, adalah anak perempuan kepada jutawan yang juga bekas Perdana Menteri Thailand, Thaksin Shinawatra.
Pemilihan anak Thaksin sebagai PM Thailand dianggap tidak efektif
Pemilihan anak perempuan bekas Perdana Menteri Thailand, Thaksin Shinawatra, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, untuk menggantikan Srettha Thavisin sebagai Perdana Menteri negara itu dianggap sebagai tidak efektif.
![Angka kematian di seluruh Semenanjung Gaza meningkat kepada 40,005, lebih 92,401 cedera Angka kematian di seluruh Semenanjung Gaza meningkat kepada 40,005, lebih 92,401 cedera](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-08/81723343252_Palestiniansmourn.jpg)
Angka kematian di seluruh Semenanjung Gaza meningkat kepada 40,005, lebih 92,401 cedera
Perkhidmatan kecemasan masih tidak dapat membantu ramai mangsa dan membawa keluar mayat yang terperangkap di bawah runtuhan.
DNA mangsa kebakaran di Pagoh diperoleh, jenazah dijangka dikebumikan esok
Polis mengesahkan telah menerima laporan ujian asid deoksiribonukleik (DNA) dua mayat mangsa yang rentung dalam kebakaran rumah di Kampung Paya Redan, Pagoh, Johor Jumaat lepas.
![Temu bual Trump bersama Musk di X terganggu akibat serangan DDoS Temu bual Trump bersama Musk di X terganggu akibat serangan DDoS](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-08/51723520099_DonaldJTrump.jpg)
Temu bual Trump bersama Musk di X terganggu akibat serangan DDoS
Menurut Elon Musk, serangan Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) besar-besaran mengganggu wawancara secara langsungnya dengan calon Presiden AS, Donald Trump.
![Pengurusan Celine Dion kecam Trump guna lagunya semasa berkempen Pengurusan Celine Dion kecam Trump guna lagunya semasa berkempen](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/81722078641_celinedion.jpg)
Pengurusan Celine Dion kecam Trump guna lagunya semasa berkempen
Pasukan pengurusan Dion mengeluarkan kenyataan bagi pihak artis Kanada itu dan syarikat rakamannya, mengatakan penggunaan lagu berkenaan "sama sekali tidak dibenarkan".
![Trump setuju sertai tiga debat pada September, tunggu jawapan Kamala Harris Trump setuju sertai tiga debat pada September, tunggu jawapan Kamala Harris](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-08/61723155925_MAshup.jpg)
Trump setuju sertai tiga debat pada September, tunggu jawapan Kamala Harris
Trump umum hasratnya untuk tambah dua lagi sesi debat dengan pesaingnya, Harris di stesen televisyen Fox dan NBC.
![Trump setuju debat dengan Kamala Harris pada 4 Sept Trump setuju debat dengan Kamala Harris pada 4 Sept](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-08/81722664895_USElectionKamala.jpg)
Trump setuju debat dengan Kamala Harris pada 4 Sept
Trump berkata beliau mencapai persetujuan dengan Fox News untuk mengadakan debat dengan Harris pada 4 Sept di Pennsylvania.
![Trump sifatkan pembukaan Olimpik Paris sebagai 'memalukan' Trump sifatkan pembukaan Olimpik Paris sebagai 'memalukan'](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/51721599360_DonaldTrump.jpg)
Trump sifatkan pembukaan Olimpik Paris sebagai 'memalukan'
Calon presiden Amerika Syarikat, Donald Trump menyifatkan upacara pembukaan Sukan Olimpik Paris minggu lepas sebagai memalukan.
![Biden umum pelan pembaharuan Mahkamah Agung pada Isnin - Laporan Biden umum pelan pembaharuan Mahkamah Agung pada Isnin - Laporan](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/81722058877_JoeBiden.jpg)
Biden umum pelan pembaharuan Mahkamah Agung pada Isnin - Laporan
Presiden Amerika Syarikat Joe Biden berhasrat mengemukakan cadangan penting yang bertujuan untuk mereformasi Mahkamah Agung pada Isnin.
![FBI sahkan telinga Trump memang terkena peluru semasa cubaan bunuh FBI sahkan telinga Trump memang terkena peluru semasa cubaan bunuh](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/81720920437_DonaldTrump.jpg)
FBI sahkan telinga Trump memang terkena peluru semasa cubaan bunuh
Bekas Presiden Amerika Syarikat (AS) Donald Trump terkena peluru semasa percubaan pembunuhannya awal bulan ini, menurut kenyataan FBI.
![Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-03/71709993909_TBBERITAx.jpg)
Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Antara pelbagai berita luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.
![Dewan Perwakilan AS sebulat suara undi tubuhkan pasukan petugas, siasat cubaan bunuh Trump Dewan Perwakilan AS sebulat suara undi tubuhkan pasukan petugas, siasat cubaan bunuh Trump](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/41721893961_DonaldTrump.jpg)
Dewan Perwakilan AS sebulat suara undi tubuhkan pasukan petugas, siasat cubaan bunuh Trump
Dewan Perwakilan Amerika Syarikat (AS) pada Rabu sebulat suara mengundi untuk menubuhkan pasukan petugas dwipartisan yang bertanggungjawab menyiasat cubaan bunuh bekas Presiden Donald Trump.
![Ringgit ditutup tinggi berbanding dolar US menjelang pengumuman data IHP AS Ringgit ditutup tinggi berbanding dolar US menjelang pengumuman data IHP AS](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-04/41713876066_TBringgitmalaysia.jpg)
Ringgit ditutup tinggi berbanding dolar US menjelang pengumuman data IHP AS
Ringgit ditutup tinggi berbanding dolar Amerika Syarikat (dolar US) hari ini berikutan minat belian baharu menjelang data Indeks Harga Pengguna (IHP) Malaysia, kata seorang penganalisis.