Officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security downplayed the intelligence both agencies obtained ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021, riots on Capitol grounds, a new report concluded.
The U.S. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs found the FBI and DHS received multiple tips and failed to act on the threats despite their foreknowledge. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), chairman of the Senate panel, released the report Tuesday, criticizing the agencies' “significant intelligence failures” in the months leading up to Jan. 6.
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“Despite the high volume of tips and online traffic about the potential for violence … these agencies failed to sound the alarm and share critical intelligence information that could have helped law enforcement better prepare for the events of January 6th, 2021,” said Peters in the committee's press release.
NEWS: I just released a report as Chairman of @HSGAC that shows a shocking failure from the FBI and DHS to take the threats in the lead up to January 6th seriously.
— Senator Gary Peters (@SenGaryPeters) June 27, 2023
Jan 6th was planned in plain sight, and I'm pressing to make sure an attack like it never happens again. https://t.co/cB38MjRa5j
The published investigation detailed that both federal agencies knew of the possible threats posed on social media as early as November 2020, after the last presidential election.
Despite receiving multiple warnings before Jan. 6, 2021, the FBI and DHS deemed the threat information “non-credible” and declined to report it even though agency rules require them to log all tips regardless of credibility.
The Senate panel outlined some recommendations following the investigation, including completion of comprehensive reviews of the lead-up to Jan. 6, improvement of FBI and DHS intelligence policies and procedures, improvement of inter-agency coordination to address probable threats adequately, and increased congressional oversight of agencies within the executive branch.
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“My report shows there was a shocking failure of imagination from these intelligence agencies to take these threats seriously, and there is no question that their failures to effectively analyze and share the threat information contributed to the failures to prevent and respond to the horrific attack that unfolded at the Capitol,” Peters said.
“I’ll continue pressing for our national security apparatus and intelligence agencies to learn from their missteps so that an attack of this nature never happens again.”