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Senate committee hears update Capitol security ahead of Jan. 6

By:   ['Rilyn Eischens', 'More From Author', '- January'], Minnesota Reformer
Date: 2022-01

A U.S. Senate committee led by Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar on Wednesday reviewed Capitol security updates made in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and discussed remaining improvements.

In a hearing the day before the anniversary of the riot, Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger told members of the Senate’s Committee On Rules and Administration that the department has implemented most of the committee’s recommendations, including requiring action plans for large events and increasing training for officers.

Still, Capitol Police is struggling to recruit and retain officers — like departments across the country — and experiencing difficulties keeping up with increasing numbers of threats against lawmakers, Manger said.

In her opening remarks, Klobuchar thanked law enforcement at the Capitol for allowing lawmakers to finish certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election just hours after the attack.

“Many of us remember the insurrection for what it was, as an attack on our democracy. But it was also, as we’ll talk about today, a brutal and prolonged physical attack for the law enforcement officers who risked their lives to defend the Capitol,” Klobuchar said.

Other Democratic members of Minnesota’s congressional delegation have also made public statements ahead of the anniversary, including Rep. Dean Phillips, who was in the House gallery when the mob stormed the Capitol.

“For those who tried to say, either it didn’t happen, or what happened wasn’t a big deal … I say no, no, no. No, no, no. I was there,” Phillips told KSTP. “The U.S. Capitol was stormed by Americans.”

Minnesota’s Republican U.S. representatives, however, seem to have gone silent with the anniversary looming.

Reps. Tom Emmer, Michelle Fischbach, Pete Stauber and Jim Hagedorn declined multiple requests to comment on the anniversary, the Star Tribune reported, despite condemning the attack last year. The four members of Congress didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from the Reformer.
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