Homeland Security officials told Pentagon ‘no major incidents of illegal activity’ after Capitol riot began

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sent an advisory to the US Army stating that “no major incidents of illegal activity” had occurred around the US Capitol even as the 6 January attack on the US Capitol had clearly begun.

An email obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request and published by Politico on Wednesday revealed that DHS sent the above guidance to the Army shortly before 1:40 p.m. local time, nearly an hour after a pipe bomb had been discovered at around 12:45 p.m. outside of the Republican National Committee (RNC) headquarters, located just a block from the Cannon House Office Building.

The guidance covered the past two hours, during which officers from US Capitol Police were dispatched to respond to the scene of the bomb’s discovery. Other agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the FBI, also responded to the bomb, as well as a second device discovered shortly after outside of the Democratic National Committee’s headquarters.

At the same time that DHS was sending guidance dismissing the severity of what was occurring at the Capitol and around Washington, DC, the attack on the Capitol itself had already begun. Numerous media reports indicated that US Capitol Police barricades on the western perimeter of the complex had already been breached by the time DHS sent its advisory, and rioters including members of the right-wing Proud Boys group, known for their violent tactics, had already clashed with officers.

DHS officials did not immediately respond to questions about the early afternoon guidance sent to the Army when contacted by The Independent, and declined to answer Politico’s inquiries.

“Under Secretary Mayorkas’ leadership, addressing domestic violent extremism is a top priority for DHS,” an agency spokesperson told the news outlet. “The Department is working closely with federal, state, local, tribal, and non-government partners to improve our ability to detect, evaluate, and mitigate the threats posed by domestic terrorists.”

Lawmakers have questioned for months how the US Capitol security forces were overwhelmed by attackers seeking to stop the certification of former President Donald Trump’s election defeat; unanswered questions remain regarding why law enforcement reinforcements from Maryland and other jurisdictions were not called in sooner to relieve the vastly outnumbered officers of US Capitol Police as crowds assaulted perimeters and battled police.

Defence officials and the former Trump administration have also faced sharp criticism over the slow response to the attack; it took hours after they were first requested for the National Guard to respond to the US Capitol riot.

Earlier this month a small rally in support of the jailed 6 January defendants was held outside of the US Capitol; in preparation, law enforcement re-erected barriers around the building and called in large numbers of reinforcements in the days ahead as the predicted turnout of the event was uncertain.