SAY WHAT?

DHS Told Pentagon ‘No Major Incidents of Illegal Activity’ as Rioters Stormed Capitol

A DHS email made no mention that a mob had pushed through barricades outside the Capitol.

While a Trump-supporting mob stormed the Capitol, pushing through barricades set up outside the building, the Department of Homeland Security sent an email to the Pentagon, reporting “no major incidents of illegal activity at this time,” Politico reports. The Pentagon’s long delay in deploying the National Guard in response to the violence has been widely criticized, but the email, which was sent about 30 minutes after rioters began to breach the barricades, sheds light on the poor communication on Jan. 6. “These emails raise serious questions about the response to the threat of January 6,” said Jordan Libowitz, of the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics. While DHS inaccurately described the violent scene that was unfolding, other officials, including lawmakers, the White House, Mayor of D.C. Muriel Bowser, and local law enforcement, gave more accurate descriptions of the chaos, which eventually led to the National Guard’s deployment.