You Vote: Is Jan. 6 committee right that Donald Trump's primarily to blame for the Capitol breach?
The Democrat-controlled House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 breach of the Capitol held its first public hearing on Thursday.
The seven Democrats and two Republicans on the Jan. 6 select committee tried to show that former President Trump was at the center of a coordinated campaign to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and that his efforts incited a mob to swarm into the Capitol in a bid to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power.
They used a combination of video, audio, and live testimony to make the case, outlining their view of what happened on that fateful day. But they omitted key details that paint a fuller picture of what led up to the breach of the Capitol security perimeter.
For example, Just the News reported Friday that FBI intelligence warning that Jan. 6 protesters might violently storm the Capitol was emailed the night before to a top aide to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) but was never sent to frontline police commanders and officers.
That report came after new revelations this week showed the Pentagon first raised the possibility of sending National Guard troops to the Capitol four days before the Jan. 6 riot, validating former Trump administration officials' long-held claims about their efforts to provide extra security.
The Capitol Police rejected the offer of troops, according to government documents. Soon after, however, then-Chief Steven Sund decided he wanted the troops after all but was turned down by the House sergeant at arms, who reports to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).
Meanwhile, Trump had signed an order on Jan. 4 to deploy 20,000 Guardsmen to prevent any violence if requested by Congress, which turned down the request.
Just the News also revealed this week that Capitol Police had compiled a secret after-action review months after the Jan. 6 riot that identified sweeping intelligence and security failures by the department.
The explosive new reports suggest the committee may be ignoring a slew of security failures that contributed to the tragic events of Jan. 6 — and could leave the Capitol vulnerable in the future if unaddressed.
With all this in mind, do you agree with the committee's assignment of blame? Or do you agree with critics who argue the House panel is too narrowly focused on Trump? Here's your chance to weigh in: