Capitol Police rejected federal aid to quell mob

Three days before the pro-Trump riot at the Capitol, the Pentagon asked the U.S Capitol Police if it needed National Guard manpower. The police turned them down both times, according to a defense official and two people familiar with the matter

Video Transcript

[EXPLOSIONS]

- USA!

ROBERT BUMSTED: The US Capitol Police had planned for a free speech demonstration Wednesday, but what they got was an insurrection.

- They're getting into the Capitol tonight.

ROBERT BUMSTED: The Associated Press has learned that top Justice Department officials offered to send the FBI in as backup. The police said they could handle it.

[POUNDING]

[YELLING]

- USA! USA!

ROBERT BUMSTED: Now lawmakers are calling for an investigation into how the police failed to stop the breach.

CHRIS MURPHY: Clearly we need to make serious changes to the way that our Capitol is defended, and we need to start implementing those changes now.

ROBERT BUMSTED: There were plenty of warnings as President Donald Trump encouraged supporters to show up. Plans were being made on far-right message boards and in pro-Trump circles to descend in protest as Congress met to certify Joe Biden's electoral college win.

DONALD TRUMP: And we're going to the Capitol.

ROBERT BUMSTED: But the Capitol Police had set up no hard perimeter around the building. Officials mainly focused on the east side of the Capitol where lawmakers were entering.

- See how fast the cops turn around once they [MUTED] saw the numbers game.

ROBERT BUMSTED: This video shows just how outnumbered police were as thousands of rioters swarmed, pushing through a barricade, eventually climbing to the second floor and entering the Capitol.

[YELLING]

The images stand in contrast to scenes from Portland, Oregon, earlier this summer, where a massive display of force was used against Black Lives Matter protesters at a federal courthouse, raising questions over whether racial bias played a role in how they prepared for the overwhelmingly white crowd.

- It's over!

ROBERT BUMSTED: In the end, a woman was fatally shot by police and at least 80 people were arrested. It took four hours to get the mob out of the Capitol building. Police say they'll be studying videos like these, aiming to arrest more of those responsible. Robert Bumsted, Associated Press.

[YELLING]

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