A new bipartisan Senate report provides disturbing new details about the riot at the U.S. Capitol on January 6.

The report lists numerous intelligence failures at multiple agencies, including the FBI, the Capitol Police, and the Department of Homeland Security. In addition, it describes how officials were ill-prepared for the violence and details a perceived lack of leadership when a group of Trump supporters protesting the results of the 2020 election stormed the Capitol Building during a joint session of Congress.

The report said that the Capitol Police's intelligence unit "knew about social media posts calling for violence at the Capitol on January 6, including a plot to breach the Capitol, the online sharing of maps of the Capitol Complex's tunnel systems, and other specific threats of violence," but "did not convey the full scope of known information to USCP leadership, rank-and-file officers, or law enforcement partners."

Many officers told investigators they felt left in the dark as no high-ranking officials took charge during the chaos.

"I was horrified that NO deputy chief or above was on the radio or helping us. For hours the screams on the radio were horrific. The sights were unimaginable, and there was a complete loss of control," an unidentified officer said. "For hours, NO Chief or above took command and control. Officers were begging and pleading for help for medical triage."

The report also criticized both the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security for failing to publish an intelligence bulletin, despite the prevalence of threats targeting the joint session of Congress. The report did not provide many details about those decisions because the agencies refused to fully cooperate with the investigation.

"A key contributing factor to the tragic events of January 6 was the failure of the Intelligence Community to properly analyze, assess, and disseminate information to law enforcement regarding the potential for violence and the known threats to the Capitol and the Members present that day," the report says. "Further scrutiny of these failures and the preparations and response of federal agencies will continue."

Photo: Getty Images

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