WASHINGTON (Reuters) – US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Monday that lawmakers would set up an independent external commission to review “facts and causes” related to the January 6 deadly attack on the US Capitol by supporters of then-President Donald Trump.
Pelosi said in a letter to lawmakers that the commission would be modeled on a similar one convened after the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on New York and the Pentagon. Pelosi said the panel would also analyze “the facts and causes related to the preparation and response of the United States Chapter Police and other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.”
She instructed U.S. Army Lieutenant General Russel Honoré to assess the Capitol’s security needs after the attack. Based on her provisional findings, she said Congress should allocate additional funds “to ensure the security of members and the security of the Chapter.”
She added: “It is clear from his findings and the indictment that we need to get to the truth about how this happened.”
More than a month after the attack that left five dead, while pro-Trump supporters stormed the US Chapter and tried to disrupt the certification of Joe Biden’s victory as president, the Chapter complex remains guarded by more than 5,000 people. soldiers of the National Guard and ringed with eight leg fences lined with razor wire. The troops are expected to remain until mid-March.
Last month, the US Capitol Police Chief urged lawmakers to add permanent fences and backup security, noting that a 2006 security assessment recommended installing a permanent perimeter fence around the Chapter.
Many lawmakers and Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser have urged congressional leaders not to adopt permanent fences or permanent military security.
More than 200 people have been charged with federal crimes in the bloody attack on Congress, which led to Trump’s indictment on a charge of inciting insurrection. Trump was acquitted Saturday by a 57-43 vote, as seven Republican senators joined Democrats in favor of the conviction, though they do not exceed the required majority.
Reporting by David Shepardson; Edited by Richard Chang and Dan Grebler