A 12-page Capitol Police intelligence report written three days before the coup attempt on the Capitol said that the government complex could be the target of an attack after Donald Trump’s January 6th rally, the Washington Post reports in an exclusive.
The existence of the report will further call into question the decisions of Capitol Police commanders, Homeland Security officials, Defense Department leaders and others responsible for the protection of the Capitol, the Vice President and the members of Congress.
Since the January 6th attack, which left five people dead, numerous reports of prior warnings from local and federal law enforcement officials have left people wondering why the Capitol was so understaffed and why National Guard units were not activated to protect the people and property.
“Supporters of the current president see January 6, 2021, as the last opportunity to overturn the results of the presidential election,” according to the memo, portions of which were obtained by The Washington Post. “This sense of desperation and disappointment may lead to more of an incentive to become violent. Unlike previous post-election protests, the targets of the pro-Trump supporters are not necessarily the counter-protesters as they were previously, but rather Congress itself is the target on the 6th.”
The report was apparently not circulated outside of the Capitol Police, although the DC Metro Police and the FBI reportedly had produced reports that had similar conclusions.
Members of Congress are calling for investigations into the preparations made for the Trump “Stop the Steal” rally, given that so many red flags were raised beforehand. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi appointed retired general Russel Honore to review security operations.