Merkley Reacts To Top Security Officials Placing Blame on Intel Failure Ahead of Capitol Riot
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) is weighing in on the blame intelligence officials are placing on each other and other agencies for failed communication leading up to the riots at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. CNN’s Alisyn…
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) is weighing in on the blame intelligence officials are placing on each other and other agencies for failed communication leading up to the riots at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
CNN’s Alisyn Camerota asked Merkley during his appearance on “New Day” on Wednesday why Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund did not know about a memo from the FBI warning about potential violence one day before the insurrection until now.
“It really is an enormous failure and when I pressed him on that question, he said, ‘Well it came in at a lower level and it wasn’t a polished report. It was just raw intelligence data,'” Merkley said.
He continued, “I don’t think we should just say, ‘Well somebody didn’t pass it up.’ I mean the head of the chief of police has a responsibility to establish the channels of communication.”
Watch his comments below:
Merkley pointed out there is an intelligence chief within the Capitol police and questioned how his division did not forward the information.
“This seems like a huge blame game.”
“There was a lot of not taking responsibility and not getting to the core of the type of drills that should’ve and exercises and planning and rules of engagement that should’ve occurred to defend the Capitol,” Merkley continued.
Camerota asked Merkley who he blames specifically for the lapse in intelligence.
“I think there were multiple failures along the way. My overall impression is that while there was significant evidence that this was something different, the leaders at the top couldn’t really comprehend that it was really a possibility that the Capitol would be assaulted,” Merkley explained.