WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Monday that lawmakers will set up an external, independent commission to review “facts and causes” related to the Jan. 6 deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol. United States by supporters of then-President Donald Trump.
Pelosi said in a letter to lawmakers that the commission would be based on a similar one convened after the Sept. 11, 2001, attack in New York and the Pentagon. Pelosi said the panel will also examine “facts and causes related to the preparation and response of U.S. Capitol police and other federal, state and local police.”
He has commissioned retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General Russel Honoré to assess the security needs of the Capitol after the attack. According to his provisional findings, he said Congress should allocate additional funds “to ensure the safety of members and the safety of the Capitol.”
He added: “It follows from his findings and the dismissal judgment that we must come to the truth of how this happened.”
More than a month after the attack that killed five people when pro-Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol and tried to disrupt certification of Joe Biden’s victory as president, the Capitol complex is being guarded. by more than 5,000 members of the National Guard and rang with eight foot-fences lined with razor wire. The troops are expected to remain until mid-March.
Last month, the U.S. Capitol Police Chief urged lawmakers to add permanent fences and protect security, noting that a 2006 security assessment recommended installing a permanent perimeter fence around the Capitol.
Many lawmakers and Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser have urged congressional leaders not to adopt permanent fencing or permanent military security.
More than 200 people have been charged with federal crimes in the bloody assault on Congress, which led to the indictment trial of Trump accused of inciting insurrection. Trump was acquitted Saturday with a 57 to 43 vote as seven Republican senators joined Democrats in favor of the conviction, though they did not reach the required majority.
Report by David Shepardson; Edited by Richard Chang and Dan Grebler