U.S. Capitol officers debate no-confidence vote for leaders in charge during Capitol riots



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The vote would target acting USCP chief Yogananda Pittman, who was promoted to the agency’s top post after Steven Sund resigned following the insurgency. At least four additional counts could be targeted in a vote of no confidence, the three sources said.

The discussion comes amid comments Pittman made to members of Congress in a closed-door briefing Tuesday, where she said “the department failed to meet its own high standards” on January 6. Pittman called the insurgency a “terrorist attack” and offered it “a sincere apology on behalf of the ministry.”

A source told CNN that Pittman was the chief of operations that day and “never took control of the radio or instructed the officers what to do in any way.”

A Capitol Police source said shop stewards from the USCP Labor Committee, the union representing rank-and-file officers, visited section calls to take officers’ temperatures on the potential no-confidence vote.

Another source within the ministry said a vote of no confidence was likely imminent for senior management. “The base of this department does not trust any of our leaders, especially those who were here on January 6,” the source told CNN.

A spokeswoman for the Capitol Police did not immediately respond to a CNN request for comment.

Union President Gus Papathanasiou told CNN that no vote was pending. “The officers have called for a vote of no confidence since January 6,” Papathanasiou said. “At the moment, we haven’t cast a vote of no confidence. That doesn’t mean we can’t think about it. There is a big difference.”

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Agents told CNN they felt abandoned and betrayed by the department’s leadership.

Prior to his appointment, Pittman had served as Chief of Intelligence Operations since October 2019. In this capacity, Pittman was responsible for the safety and security of the U.S. Capitol, members of Congress, Congressional staff, and visitors to the Capitol, including the detection of any threat and its prevention.

This story was updated with additional developments on Tuesday.

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