Tim Ryan says Jan. 6 Capitol riot was ‘epic failure of leadership’

WASHINGTON — After today's hearing on the Jan. 6 attack at the Capitol, Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th, outlined what he called an "epic failure of leadership" from U.S. Capitol Police in a briefing with press.

During the hearing, Yogananda Pittman, acting Capitol Police chief, and Timothy Blodgett, acting House sergeant at arms, were grilled on the security failures that led to the attack on the Capitol.

The riot revealed the Capitol Police lacked necessary training, equipment and information flows, Ryan said.

Ryan chairs the House Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee, which funds the Capitol Police.

"Long story short, it was a failure in leadership," Ryan said. "It seems like the only thing they got right was the intelligence, but they didn't use it properly or at all."

Pittman told lawmakers the Capitol Police is updating the emergency notification system used during the Jan. 6 insurrection. She admitted the lockdown "was not properly executed, and some officers did not know when to use lethal force," CNN reported.

This story was originally published February 25, 2021 at 2:27 PM with the headline "Tim Ryan says Jan. 6 Capitol riot was ‘epic failure of leadership’."