‘Failure of leadership’: Pelosi demands Capitol Hill police chief resign as House Sergeant at Arms steps down

Justin Vallejo
Speaker Nancy Pelosi will take up impeachment articles against Donald Trump if Mike Pence does not remove him via the 25th Amendment. (Getty Images)
Speaker Nancy Pelosi will take up impeachment articles against Donald Trump if Mike Pence does not remove him via the 25th Amendment. (Getty Images)

Nancy Pelosi has called for the resignation of the US Capitol Police chief following the “failure of leadership” that allowed Congress to be breached by rioters.

Ms Pelosi commended the valor of the officers on the ground but that the failures went far beyond the Capitol police chief Steven Sund, to the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the Department of Defiance.

"There was a failure of leadership at the top of the Capitol Police. Mr Sund hasn't even called us since this happened," Ms Pelosi said.

She announced that the House Sergeant at Arms, Paul D Irving, has already submitted his resignation.

Mr Sund released a written statement on Thursday morning in his first comments addressing the failure of Capitol Police to stop rioters entering the building.

He said they had a "robust plan" to address peaceful First Amendment protests, but what they encountered was criminal riotous behaviour.

“The violent attack on the U.S. Capitol was unlike any I have ever experienced in my 30 years in law enforcement here in Washington, DC,” he said.

"Make no mistake – these mass riots were not First Amendment activities; they were criminal riotous behavior. The actions of the USCP officers were heroic given the situation they faced," he added.

Ms Pelosi said that every day at the Capitol should be deemed a national security event to avoid law enforcement being caught unprepared again.

“It goes beyond the Capitol police, it goes to the FBI, what was the shortcoming in their intelligence that they provided, it goes to the Department of Defence, how long did it take for them to respond or anticipate the need for the National Guard,” she said.

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