Sen. Jeff Merkley Capitol Riot Hearing  March 3, 2021
Channel: Bud Meyers
Date: 2021-03-12

The Senate committees on rules and homeland security held a joint hearing on March 3, 2021 for the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. There was testimony from acting Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Intelligence and Analysis: #MelissaSmislova; FBI Counterterrorism Division Assistant Director: #JillSanborn; acting Assistant Secretary of Defense and Global Security: Robert Salesses; and the commanding general of the D.C. National Guard: Major General #WilliamWalker. 

Sen  Gary Peters https://youtu.be/-PoUBhQ21o4
Sen. Amy Klobuchar https://youtu.be/TfG-GiRKR0I
Sen. Rob Portman https://youtu.be/T_jKb1cBPDc
Sen. Roy Blunt https://youtu.be/4WcF3OT9vyk
Sen. Maggie Hassan https://youtu.be/t00cfTYpSQ4
Sen. Dianne Feinstein https://youtu.be/KlpHY4yhkD8
Sen. Ron Johnson https://youtu.be/RQsqpdvPryA
Sen. #JeffMerkley https://youtu.be/f54nZkv3Hgk
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema https://youtu.be/frYMu0n3bkI
Sen. Alex Padilla https://youtu.be/fGtLQh3OG5I
Sen. Jacky Rosen https://youtu.be/Z1V9_zKSzrU
Sen. Mark Warner https://youtu.be/3-DJw7CzFR4
Sen. James Lankford https://youtu.be/_xepaAO_z24
Sen. Angus King https://youtu.be/oeBo4736D0I
Sen. Tom Carper https://youtu.be/YQt2xqFEY30
Sen. Jon Ossoff https://youtu.be/sqDnSOdZIcc
Sen. Rand Paul https://youtu.be/MHtG7J3b0hE
Sen. Ted Cruz https://youtu.be/zwr8tmcgdY0
Closing Remarks https://youtu.be/hHaUl60DSfE

* The playist for Part I of this Senate hearing is here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXP0PF44odnQSTZ9lY8AlKHRIP8GURG1Y

1:49 p.m. ET The former Chief of the Capital Police Chief calls for the National Guard
4:32 p.m. ET The Acting Secretary of Defense issues approval to Major General William J. Walker, the commanding general of the D.C. National Guard.
(ETA: 4:52 p.m. ET About a 20-minute trip from the holding area to the Capital building.)

General Walker oversaw 150 members of the D.C. National Guard in its role for responding to the possibility of violence ahead of the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6. The National Guard response was extremely slow, and didn't arrive until over 3 hours later after the U.S. Capital building had already been breached (about 2:15 p.m. ET) General Walker described the “unusual” requirements the Pentagon (Acting DoD Secretary Miller) put in place prior to January 6 on the National Guard’s ability to deploy a quick reaction force to support Capitol Police. He also described receiving a “frantic” phone call from then-Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund asking for immediate support at 1:49 p.m. on the day of the attack. He said he immediately alerted Army senior leadership, but the approval would not come from the acting defense secretary until 5:08 p.m., about three hours and 19 minutes later. Lawmakers also asked representatives from the Pentagon, FBI, and Homeland Security Department about their intelligence gathering and sharing process, which lawmakers said contributed to the lack of preparedness by Capitol Police. On January 5, Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy issued a memo placing limits on the District of Columbia National Guard. Maj. Gen. William J. Walker, the commanding general of the DC National Guard, later explained: "All military commanders normally have immediate response authority to protect property, life, and in my case, federal functions — federal property and life. But in this instance I did not have that authority."  

MAJOR TAKE AWAY FROM ALL THE CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS TO-DATE:

1) There was a 3 hour and 17 minute delay for the National Guard to arrive.
2) No guns were ever found on the Capital grounds or on any person arrested during the rally, protest or supposed "insurrection".
3) Only one shot was fired, and that was by a plainclothes Capital Police officer.
4) President Trump nor Black Lives Matter was never mentioned during this hearing.
5) Everyone involved for the security of the Capital building blamed each other, but Speaker Pelosi is ultimately responsible. 
6) President Trump offered the National Guard for extra security on Jan 3rd, but the Mayor of D.C. declined his offer.
7) Three people had died and 1 was killed during the January 6th events: 1 rioter (shot by Capital police officer) and 3 Trump supporters died from pre-existing medical conditions. One Capital police officer died the following day, but there was never an official cause of death (possibly a reaction to rear gas from the day before).. Several days later 2 other Capital police officers had committed suicide, but for unknown reasons and no proof it was connected to the Capital riot.

Examining the January 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol, Part II
Joint Full Committee Hearing
March 03, 2021 10:00 AM
SOURCE:
https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/examining-the-january-6-attack-on-the-us-capitol-part-ii
Location: SD-G50 Dirksen Senate Building 

Senate Rules and Homeland Security Committees Hearing on U.S. Capitol Attack (PT II)
https://www.c-span.org/video/?509313-1/senate-rules-homeland-security-committees-hearing-us-capitol-attack-day-2