FBI asks public to help identify members of mob that stormed Capitol
By Orange County on January 7, 2021
The FBI is turning to the public for help identifying members of the mob inciting violence and storming the Capitol building, ransacking offices and looting during Wednesday’s congressional certification of the Electoral College vote.
“The FBI is seeking to identify individuals instigating violence in Washington, D.C. We are accepting tips and digital media depicting rioting or violence in and around the U.S. Capitol on January 6. If you have information, visit http://fbi.gov/USCapitol,” the agency said in a tweet this morning.
Massachusetts Congressman Jim McGovern has provided the FBI with a place to start, tweeting video from inside the assault on the Capitol that clearly shows the faces of a cascade of rioters as they cheer and pass through a door exiting the building.
“Everyone in this video should be found and arrested,” McGovern said in a tweet, tagging the FBI, Justice Department and the FBI’s Washington field office.
Pro-Trump supporters storm the U.S. Capitol following a rally with President Donald Trump on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. Trump supporters gathered in the nation’s capital today to protest the ratification of President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory over President Trump in the 2020 election. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
U.S. Capitol Police with guns drawn stand near a barricaded door as protesters try to break into the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
A rioter sits in the Senate Chamber on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC. Congress held a joint session today to ratify President-elect Joe Biden’s 306-232 Electoral College win over President Donald Trump. A pro-Trump mob entered the U.S. Capitol building after mass demonstrations in the nation’s capital. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Supporters of President Donald Trump are confronted by Capitol Police officers outside the Senate Chamber inside the Capitol, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021 in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
People shelter in the House gallery as a pro-Trump mob tries to break into the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
A rioter is seen hanging from the balcony in the Senate Chamber on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC. Congress held a joint session today to ratify President-elect Joe Biden’s 306-232 Electoral College win over President Donald Trump. A Pro-Trump mob has entered the U.S. Capitol building after mass demonstrations in the nation’s capital. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Smoke fills the walkway outside the Senate Chamber as a pro-Trump mob is confronted by U.S. Capitol Police officers inside the Capitol, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021 in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
In this photo released by the Office of U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore, Electoral College ballots sit on a table after they were rescued from the Senate floor in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2020. (Office of U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley via AP)
The House Chamber is empty after a hasty evacuation as protesters tried to break into the chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Lawmakers evacuate the floor as a mob tries to break into the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
People wear plastic respirators as they are evacuated from the House Chamber as a pro-Trump mob attempts to enter the chamber during a joint session of Congress on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC. Congress held a joint session today to ratify President-elect Joe Biden’s 306-232 Electoral College win over President Donald Trump. A group of Republican senators said they would reject the Electoral College votes of several states unless Congress appointed a commission to audit the election results. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
A pro-Trump mob moves toward U.S. Capitol Police in the hallway outside of the Senate chamber at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
People shelter in the House gallery as a pro-Trump mob tries to break into the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
A pro-Trump mob inside the Capitol in Washington on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2020. The Capitol building was placed on lockdown, with senators and members of the House locked inside their chambers, as Congress began debating President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. President Trump addressed supporters near the White House before protesters marched to Capitol Hill. (Erin Schaff/The New York Times)
A rioter climbs in a broken window of the Capitol in Washington on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, as another, wearing a Make America Great Again hat, looks out. The Capitol building was placed on lockdown as protesters entered the building, with senators and members of the House locked inside their chambers, as Congress began debating President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. (Sabrina Tavernise/The New York Times)
U.S. Capitol Police try to hold back a pro-Trump mob outside the east doors to the House side of the U.S. Capitol, Wednesday, Jan 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
A pro-Trump mob gathers outside the Capitol, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. As Congress prepares to affirm President-elect Joe Biden’s victory, thousands of rioters gathered to show their support for President Donald Trump and his claims of election fraud. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
U.S. Capitol Police draw their guns as a pro-Trump mob attempts to enter the House Chamber during a joint session of Congress on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC. Congress held a joint session today to ratify President-elect Joe Biden’s 306-232 Electoral College win over President Donald Trump. A group of Republican senators said they would reject the Electoral College votes of several states unless Congress appointed a commission to audit the election results. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
A pro-Trump mob tries to break through a police barrier, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
A rioter is shown injured during a confrontation with police during a rally Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Supporters of President Donald Trump climb the west wall of the the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
A rioter washes the eyes of another at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan 6, 2021. The Capitol building was placed on lockdown, with senators and members of the House locked inside their chambers, as Congress began debating President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. (Kenny Holston/The New York Times)
Police hold off a pro-Trump mob who tried to break through a police barrier, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
A woman is helped up by police during a rally Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
A pro-Trump mob tries to break through a police barrier, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
A pro-Trump mob gathers outside the U.S. Capitol, Wednesday, Jan 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Police keep a watch on a pro-Trump mob that tried to break through a police barrier, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
A woman holds a Trump-Pence 2021 sign at a Trump rally at the state Capitol, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, fist bumps with a House member as he leaves as a joint session of the House and Senate convenes to confirm the Electoral College votes cast in November’s election, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021. (Erin Schaff/The New York Times via AP, Pool)
A pro-Trump mob rallies at the state Capitol, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
A pro-Trump mob gathers outside as seen from inside the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. Congress will hold a joint session today to ratify President-elect Joe Biden’s 306-232 Electoral College win over President Donald Trump. The joint session was disrupted as the Trump supporters breached the Capitol building. (Photo by Cheriss May/Getty Images)
Trump supporters gather outside the Capitol, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. As Congress prepares to affirm President-elect Joe Biden’s victory, thousands of people have gathered to show their support for President Donald Trump and his claims of election fraud. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
A Pro-Trump mob gathers in front of the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. A pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol, breaking windows and clashing with police officers. Trump supporters gathered in the nation’s capital today to protest the ratification of President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory over President Trump in the 2020 election. (Photo by Jon Cherry/Getty Images)
Four people died in the chaos that erupted Wednesday, one of them a California woman who was shot and killed by police inside the Capitol.
Three other people died after suffering “medical emergencies” related to the breach, said Robert Contee, chief of the city’s Metropolitan Police Department.
Police said 52 people were arrested as of Wednesday night, including 26 on the Capitol grounds. Fourteen police officers were injured, Contee said.
Lawmakers, meanwhile, are vowing an investigation into how law enforcement handled Wednesday’s violent breach at the Capitol, questioning whether a lack of preparedness allowed a mob to occupy and vandalize the building.
Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley called for an investigation by the Oversight Committee to “immediately pursue a full & transparent investigation into today’s terrorist acts & those individuals & agencies who enabled them.”
U.S. Capitol Police, who are charged with protecting Congress, turned to other law enforcement for help with the mob that overwhelmed the complex and sent lawmakers into hiding.
Both law enforcement and Trump supporters deployed chemical irritants during the hourslong occupation of the complex before it was cleared Wednesday evening.
Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., a former police chief, said it was “painfully obvious” that Capitol police “were not prepared for today. I certainly thought that we would have had a stronger show of force, that there would have been steps taken in the very beginning to make sure that there was a designated area for the protesters in a safe distance from the Capitol.”
In an interview with MSNBC Wednesday night, Demings said it appeared police were woefully understaffed, adding that “it did not seem that they had a clear operational plan to really deal with” thousands of protesters who descended on the Capitol following Trump’s complaints of a “rigged election.”
The rioters were egged on by Trump, who has spent weeks falsely attacking the integrity of the election and had urged his supporters to come to Washington to protest Congress’ formal approval of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. The protests interrupted those proceedings for nearly seven hours.
The mob broke windows, entered both the Senate and House chambers and went into the offices of lawmakers, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
Demings said there were “a lot of unanswered questions and I’m damn determined to get answers to those questions about what went wrong today.”
A police spokeswoman could not immediately be reached for comment late Wednesday.
The FBI is seeking to identify individuals instigating violence in Washington, D.C. We are accepting tips and digital media depicting rioting or violence in and around the U.S. Capitol on January 6. If you have information, visit https://t.co/buMd8vYXzH.
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