Senate report exposes intelligence "failures" in Capitol riot

A damning Senate report has shed light on significant “failures” within United States intelligence agencies leading up to the Capitol riot of 2021. Released on Tuesday by Democratic staff on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, the report accuses the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of downplaying the potential for violence from supporters of former President Donald Trump.

The report highlights that although intelligence agencies were provided with numerous early warnings, they failed to accurately assess the threat posed by the attack on the Capitol. Thousands of Trump supporters ultimately stormed and vandalized the Capitol in an attempt to disrupt the certification of the 2020 presidential election.

According to the report, the lead-up to January 6, 2021, witnessed an inundation of open threats and violent rhetoric on social media and publicly accessible platforms. Multiple news agencies, research organizations, and individuals publicly reported on and attempted to warn about the extensive communications discussing plans for violence.

The report also criticizes the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) for its inadequate response prior to the events of January 6. Commissioned by the Senate committee’s Democratic Chair Gary Peters, the report, titled “Planned in Plain Sight: A Review of the Intelligence Failures in Advance of January 6th, 2021,” was published on Tuesday.

Peters expressed his dismay in a statement, saying, “My report shows there was a shocking failure of imagination from these intelligence agencies to take these threats seriously.” He further emphasized that these intelligence shortcomings “contributed to the failures to prevent and respond to the horrific attack that unfolded at the Capitol.”

The report reveals that the FBI had received a tip in December 2020 regarding the far-right group Proud Boys’ plans to commit violence in Washington, DC, with the intention to “literally kill people.” The FBI subsequently became aware of numerous online posts calling for violence. However, despite receiving these increasingly concerning reports, internal emails obtained by the committee demonstrate that the Bureau continued to downplay the overall threat, repeatedly stating that it had “identified no credible or verified threat.”

Furthermore, the report indicates that the FBI’s focus on potential violence between Trump supporters and counter-protesters overshadowed the growing threat to the Capitol itself. It pointed out that the Bureau failed to allocate adequate attention and reporting to the mounting danger facing the Capitol.

Last month, a federal jury found four leaders of the Proud Boys guilty of seditious conspiracy based on their actions before and during the Capitol attack. Additionally, hundreds of others have been arrested and charged in connection with the riot.

The report calls on both the FBI and DHS to conduct comprehensive internal reviews of their actions and improve their processes for assessing and sharing intelligence, particularly in relation to open-source information available on social media platforms.

The Senate investigation suggests that the intelligence community may have been incredulous about the domestic threat to national security prior to January 6. “FBI and I&A intelligence collectors, analysts, and leaders failed to sound the alarm about January 6 in part because they could not conceive that the US Capitol Building would be overrun by rioters,” the report states. It further highlights the intelligence community’s struggle to adapt to the new reality that the primary threat to homeland security, as identified by these agencies, is now domestic terrorism driven largely by antigovernment and white supremacist ideologies.

The Capitol attack was partly fueled by false claims made by Trump about widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election, allegations he continues to perpetuate. Weeks before the riot, Trump called for a protest in Washington, DC, stating on Twitter, “Big protest in DC on January 6th. Be there, will be wild!”

In late 2022, a congressional panel investigating the events of January 6 also exposed the failures of law enforcement agencies, including their failure to take tips and online posts about violence seriously. The committee recommended criminal charges against Trump for his role in the riot.