Source: United States Senator for Minnesota Amy Klobuchar
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, Chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, issued the following statement on the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) report on special event security considerations in advance of the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6.
“When an angry violent mob staged an insurrection on January 6 and desecrated our Capitol—the temple of our democracy—it was not just an attack on the building, it was an attack on our Republic itself. This report from the Government Accountability Office is an important step in identifying some of the planning and security failures in the lead-up to that dark day. Moving forward, it is crucial for the Department of Homeland Security to implement the recommendations in this report to protect our democracy and ensure nothing like this happens again.”
In the report, GAO found that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) did not consider designating the events of January 6—including the joint session of Congress—to receive special enhanced federal security assistance as National Security Special Events, like similar events at the Capitol such as presidential inaugurations or State of the Union Addresses. GAO recommended that DHS consider more factors, including current and emerging security threats, when designating special security events, and that DHS clarify the process for designating special security events on federal property in Washington, D.C.
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