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The acting head of the United States (US) Capitol Police Yogananda Pittman told Congressional members on Tuesday, 26 January, that the “department failed to meet its own high standards” when a mob of pro-Trump supporters breached the US Capitol on 6 January.
Referring to the siege on the US Capitol as a “terrorist attack” and apologising on behalf of the department, Pittman, according to CNN, said that the department was aware about a “strong potential for violence” on 6 January, but did not take appropriate steps to safeguard against it.
Pittman, on Tuesday, was speaking at a close-door briefing for lawmakers on the House Appropriations Committee, according to CNN.
This admission comes amid an ongoing debate among the US Capitol Police officers on whether to carry out a no-confidence vote targeting those who were leading the department during the day of Capitol siege, including Pittman.
On Tuesday, Pittman, according to CNN, said: "Let me be clear: the Department should have been more prepared for this attack.”
"It is clear there was a failure of preparation,” Pittman said.
She also went on to state the factors that rendered the department ill-equipped to handle the attack. These included:
As per CNN, Pittman also said that, in the future, "the Capitol's security infrastructure must change and that the Department needs access to additional resources – both manpower and physical assets."
(With inputs from CNN.)
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