6 Capitol Cops Suspended, 35 Under Investigation After Accusations Of Being ‘Complicit’ In Riot

Washington, DC – U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) confirmed that six Capitol Police officers have been suspended and another 35 were under investigation as GOP lawmakers called on Congress to replace the partisan general put in charge of the Jan. 6 riot investigation.

“Our Office of Professional Responsibility is investigating the actions of 35 police officers from that day. We currently have suspended six of those officers with pay,” a USCP spokesman John Stolnis said, according to WTTG.

U.S. Capitol Police Acting Chief Yogananda Pittman has said that any officer whose behavior violated the Department’s Rules of Conduct would be discipline appropriately, according to the department.

Two of the suspended officers have been on administrative leave since Jan. 11, five days after the riot, when videos surfaced of them cooperating with rioters.

Those officers have explained they were attempting to work with those rioters in order to gain their cooperation during the chaos.

The investigations into the 41 officers identified so far are ongoing, as is a larger investigation into how security leadership failed to protect the U.S. Capitol building despite tons of intelligence that warned them what was coming.

Former U.S. Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund, former U.S. Senate Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper Michael Stenger, and former U.S. House Sergeant at Arms Paul D. Irving, all of whom resigned in disgrace after the riot, have all been ordered to appear on Feb. 23, according to The Hill.

But some lawmakers are calling on Congress to replace Retired Army Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honoré, whom House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) tapped to head up the security review of Jan. 6.

Honoré began blasting Capitol Police officers for being “complicit” in the Capitol riot just a few days after the attack on the building, FOX News reported.

“I think once this all gets uncovered, it was complicit actions by Capitol Police,” Honoré told MSNBC.

He said officials needed to investigate whether former Chief Sund “was … complicit along with the sergeant at arms in the House and the Senate.”

“It gives appearance of complicity,” Honoré told MSNBC.

The general said Chief Sund and the sergeants-at-arms of the House and Senate may have “complied because he might have thought 45 was coming to the Capitol and he gave way to the protesters,” meaning security officials might have thought President Donald Trump was coming to the Capitol.

Honoré told a FOX channel he had “just never seen such incompetence, so they’re either that stupid or ignorant or complicit.”

“I think they were complicit,” he said.

On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin) called for Honoré to be taken off the investigation.

“General Honoré is an extreme partisan and should be the LAST person to head up an investigation of what happened at the Capitol on Jan 6th,” Johnson tweeted.

General Honoré is an extreme partisan and should be the LAST person to head up an investigation of what happened at the Capitol on Jan 6th.

— Senator Ron Johnson (@SenRonJohnson) February 18, 2021

Earlier in the week, several GOP congressman complained to Pelosi that she had selected Honoré “without consultation of the minority” and said they “remain skeptical that any of his final recommendations will be independent and without influence from you,” FOX News reported.

Democrats have been pushing for a 9/11-style commission to investigate what led up to and what happened during the riot.

Pelosi sent a letter to members of Congress this week that said the retired general had nothing good say about security the U.S. Capitol, FOX News reported.

“For the past few weeks, General Honoré has been assessing our security needs by reviewing what happened on January 6 and how we must ensure that it does not happen again,” the speaker wrote. “It is clear from his findings and from the impeachment trial that we must get to the truth of how this happened… As we prepare for the Commission, it is also clear from General Honoré’s interim reporting that we must put forth a supplemental appropriation to provide for the safety of Members and the security of the Capitol.”

Pelosi has already added metal detectors to the entrances of the House chamber and proposed an increase to members’ allowances to pay for additional security.