State of the Union: Capitol Police chief warns militia groups about wanting to ‘blow up Capitol’ when Biden addresses Congress

While presidents typically do not deliver an official State of the Union address in the first months of their first term, the Biden administration is considering an address to a joint session of Congress later this year, although a specific date has not been identified.

How long will the fences stay around the Capitol?

Pittman declined to work out a timetable to remove the fences and return National Guard troops who remain in Washington to their home states despite bipartisan calls to reduce the security posture around the U.S. Capitol.

“We do not intend to keep the National Guard soldiers or this fence any longer than is really necessary. We are actively working with a reduced approach so that we can ensure that we are addressing three main variables,” Pittman said Thursday.

“One is the known threat to the environment, two are infrastructure vulnerabilities and then this third variable being the limits the United States Capitol Police know they have in terms of human capital. and technological resources, ”she added.

“The temporary infrastructure will only be used to address vulnerabilities after the January 6 attack. Our priority is to make sure members of Congress are safe and the democratic process is protected. Once we have the appropriate infrastructure and human resources in place. lean forward with the removal of the fence, ”she said.

CNN previously reported that U.S. Capitol Police told lawmakers that the barbed wire fences around the Capitol should remain in place at least until September due to ongoing security concerns related to threats against members of Congress.

Lawmakers have repeatedly urged law enforcement and defense officials to explain whether there is a credible threat that justifies maintaining these security measures.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security told CNN earlier this month that officials are currently not tracking any “credible or specific threats,” but continue to constantly monitor online discussions of the potential violence in Washington, DC. , and against members of Congress.

“The most significant terrorist threat the country currently faces comes from isolated offenders and small groups of individuals inspired by national extremist ideological beliefs, including those based on false narratives disseminated on social media and others. online platforms, ”the spokesperson added.

Lawmakers voice frustrations over leadership failures during insurgency

“It was very clear that their head pieces, the communication elements, they weren’t getting any real communication, they weren’t getting any leadership, they weren’t getting any direction, there was no coordination and you could see. fear in their eyes, ”Beutler mentioned.

“When I talk about communication failures, I’m literally talking about leadership. Nobody owns the frequency and gives the direction and that’s what I want to know, I want to know if you correct that?” she added.

Pittman responded by telling lawmakers that the ministry failed to follow protocols during the insurgency for how to deal with an emergency, in large part because officers were overwhelmed.

“On January 6, our incident command protocols were not followed as they should have been,” Pittman, who took over after the January 6 attack, told a House appropriations subcommittee. .

She made the comment in response to questions about the communication blackouts that hampered response as pro-Trump rioters stormed Capitol Hill. She said the failures stemmed from the fact that the police lines were so overwhelmed that the commanders overseeing the emergency response instead physically repelled the rioters.

“When there’s a breakdown, you look for those commanders with boots on the ground to give that instruction,” Pittman said. “It didn’t happen, mainly because those operational commanders at the time were so overwhelmed that they started to participate and help the officers … instead of providing that advice and direction.”

Beutler rejected this explanation, saying the role of law enforcement officials was to provide clear instructions to officers on the ground.

“I hear a lot of process and a lot of blaming the reasons there is a problem rather than hearing how you’re going to make sure there is a command center that speaks into officers’ headsets and provides direction. and leadership. . That part of the problem there was chaos was because every one of those field officer boots, commander or not, had to make a decision without information, ”she said.

Democratic Representative Rosa DeLauro directed her frustrations Thursday at the board of directors that oversees the United States Capitol Police, saying it was “outdated” and not protecting members, blaming board bureaucracy for slowness of the response during the January 6 uprising.

The three-member board is made up of the Capitol Police Chief, the House Sergeant-at-Arms, and the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms. Their lack of coordination during the attack was the focus of congressional oversight hearings this week, and council members contradicted each other on the schedule that day.

“Right now I see it as a holdover, it’s just there,” said DeLauro, the chair of the House appropriations committee. “It doesn’t seem to do much, nor does it seem to do a lot to deal with this situation on January 6th. It’s like your appendix. It’s right there, but doesn’t really have a function. “

His comments came two days after a Senate hearing in which the three officials who were part of the Capitol Police Council during the attack said bureaucracy was creating a situation in which no one has ultimate responsibility. to secure the complex. These three officials all resigned from their posts after the insurgency.

This story and title was updated with additional developments on Thursday.