A day after getting caught in the middle of a rampaging assault on Congress, New Haven U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro announced plans to investigate how it all happened.
Or, more specifically, how law enforcement allowed armed Confederate flag-waving mobs incited by President Trump to storm and trash the Capitol.
DeLauro ascends to a powerful role in the new Congress: chair of the House Appropriations Committee.
She announced Thursday that that committee, which funds the Capitol police at more than $516 million, will conduct hearings to investigate how the mobs made it inside. The hearings will be conducted through the Appropriations Legislative Branch Subcommittee.
“The coup attempt at the Capitol yesterday was instigated by President Trump and responsibility for the violence rests with him and his supporters who ransacked the People’s House. However, the breach of the Capitol raises serious questions about what law enforcement did and what they should have done differently,” DeLauro stated in a joint release with U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, the subcommittee’s chair.”
“We recognize the bravery of the Capitol Police and law enforcement officers who protected Members and essential workers in the Capitol Complex yesterday. At the same time, it is obvious that there was a severe systemic failure in securing the building’s perimeter and in the response once the building was breached.
“To ensure the safety of those who work and visit here, we must get to the bottom of these breakdowns and prevent them from ever happening again. The Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee, which funds the Capitol Police, is robustly investigating yesterday’s events, including with hearings to directly question key leaders about what went wrong.”