U.S. Capitol Building | aoc.gov
U.S. Capitol Building | aoc.gov
Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund has resigned following criticism over poor handling of the rioting on Jan. 6.
Lawmakers who were in the Capitol Building on the day have spoken about the incident that left many questioning the competence of the Capitol Police.
Rep Mike Quigley, D-Illinois, showed his gratitude for the officers’ efforts and made it clear they were outnumbered.
“The Capitol Police I was around did an amazing job under difficult circumstances,” Quigley told CNN. “My concern wasn’t with how valiant the Capitol Police were. It was that an hour before the debate started, I looked at the throngs of people surrounding different sections of the Capitol — and said, we don’t have enough security.”
He added: “I’m no expert in security, but you can tell we were out-manned in an hour before the debate.”
On the day of the protests, Sund had asked House and Senate security officials for permission to ask for the D.C. National Guard to be available if they needed backup but he was turned down.
He also asked for help five more times during the incident itself, The Washington Post reported.
“If we would have had the National Guard we could have held them at bay longer, until more officers from our partner agencies could arrive,” Sund said, the Washington Post reported.
Though Sund pleaded for help to come, the first personnel of the National Guard only arrived after 5 p.m. when the worst was already over and four people had lost their lives.
On Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called for the resignation of Sundl.
The incident left four dead, around 50 officers injured and more than 90 arrested.
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