In upcoming book, ex-Capitol Police Chief Sund again ties Capitol riot to government intel failures

Sund argued the federal government’s multibillion-dollar security network failed to adequately gather intelligence about a possible riot.

Published: January 2, 2023 9:03am

Updated: January 2, 2023 9:23am

Ex-Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund says a succession of government failures resulted in the Jan. 6 riot.

Sund, who resigned after the Capitol riot, makes the claims in a new book, in which he gives a firsthand account of the events on Jan. 6, 2021, according to The Washington Post.

He argued the federal government's multibillion-dollar security network – built after 9/11 to gather intelligence about another possible attack – provided no such information about a potential riot.

Sund says the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and the Capitol Police's intelligence unit had been alerted weeks earlier about so-called "chatter," which is typical online, about right-wing extremists arming for an attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, the day Congress was set to certify the 2020 presidential election results declaring Democrat Joe Biden the winner.

He says the intelligence community failed to take the basic steps to assess the alleged plots or provide a warning. Sund has made similar arguments before, including in Capitol Hill testimony.

The newspaper obtained an advance copy of the book, "Courage Under Fire," to be published Wednesday. 

Sund also writes law enforcement was outnumbered “58-to1” on the day of the riot and warns that such an incident could "easily happen again" because many of the vulnerabilities remain unfixed.

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