Senate Homeland Security Committee Report Finds Federal Law Enforcement Agencies Failed to Properly Analyze Intelligence Ahead of January 6 Attack on U.S. Capitol

On Tuesday, Democrats on the Senate Homeland Security Committee released a report accusing federal law enforcement agencies of failing to properly analyze intelligence that showed the potential for violence on January 6, 2021. The report, authored by the committee’s chair, Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., and staff, concluded that the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) had downplayed the risks and warnings ahead of the attack on the U.S. Capitol.

The report found that the agencies had misjudged or misread the risks, and had issued warnings too slowly and passively. As a result, the government had not adequately prepared the security apparatus for Washington, D.C., on that day. The report also noted that this failure of imagination was similar to the one described by the 9/11 Commission nearly 20 years ago.

The report also highlighted specific examples of threats of violence and plans for an attack on the Capitol that had been collected by the agencies in the lead-up to January 6. It also accused the FBI and DHS intelligence analysts of “finger pointing” in the aftermath of the tragedy.

The report concluded that the agencies had consistently downplayed the potential for violence and had not taken the necessary steps to prepare for the attack. It is hoped that this report will help to ensure that similar failures of imagination do not occur in the future.