Jan. 6 reports from GOP, investigative committee draw different conclusions

Two reports on the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol have two very different focuses. The official Jan. 6 investigative committee compiled a report that stated the attack on the Capitol could not have happened without Donald Trump. A separate investigation from a group of five House Republicans found that intelligence failures, internal politics and unnecessary bureaucracy left the Capitol unprepared.

“Unlike the sham Jan 6 report that focused on partisan politics and political payback, House Republicans released a report today that details how we can ensure another Jan 6 never happens again,” Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., tweeted about the GOP version.

The GOP report stated the U.S. Capitol Police had sufficient information prior to the Jan. 6 to anticipate and prepare for violence. The report concluded police officers were short staffed, under trained and ill-equipped.

“The USCP was set up to fail, and there have been scant signs of progress toward addressing these weaknesses,” investigators wrote in the executive summary.

To fix the problem Republicans suggest making changes to the Capitol Police board, which they accused of resisting long-standing calls for reform and operating in the dark. They want to make the board more accountable to oversight, and add two new members who will be in charge of long-term strategic planning and identifying industry best practices.

The Republicans also said there was concern from Democrats over optics in the wake of 2020 Black Lives Matter protests that prevented the early deployment of the National Guard.

To conduct their investigation, the representatives obtained documents, communications and interviewed witnesses including U.S. Capitol police officers, the chief of the U.S. Capitol Police, the House sergeant at arms, and others.

As for the committee report, much of the information had already been made public in previous committee hearings. Although the report offers more detail from depositions and testimony.

It stated Donald Trump pressured state officials to change election results and pressured Vice President Mike Pence to reject electors or send them back to state legislatures during the electoral certification. They said that was all part of a multi-faceted conspiracy to overturn the lawful election results.

The Jan. 6 select committee voted to send criminal referrals against Trump to the Justice Department. They believe he should be charged with crimes including conspiracy to defraud the United States. If Trump were charged and convicted of everything the committee suggested, the former president could face up to 25 years in prison.

This is the final action of the committee. It will now be disbanded with the end of the 117th Congress.