(Washington Insider Magazine) -As reported by the Washington Post, a whistleblower identified as a former senior member of the Capitol Police slammed the police’s leadership in a new letter to Congress in the days leading up to the deadly insurrection on January 6.
The 16-page letter identifies two Capitol Police officials — assistant chief Yogananda Pittman and acting assistant chief Sean Gallagher — as having not shared critical intelligence with essential police leaders. The letter further claims these leaders did nothing to help officers once the violence began on January 6th. Additionally, they haven’t seen any consequences as of the September 28th dated letter. This letter addresses leaders in the US House and Senate.
The whistleblower has 30 years of service in the Capitol Police Department as a former high-ranking officer. Additionally, he worked there on January 6th.
Although there are allegations similar to those of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Inspector General previously. This letter further identifies police department leadership and congressional leaders for failing to disclose the department’s failures.
The former department official wrote that the whistleblower letter alleges that the failures of Pittman and Gallagher have been “marginalized, negligibly investigated, categorically underreported and without accountability. As pointed out by many, they have been restored to their same positions as if they were not responsible for the single greatest intelligence failure in the history of the U.S. Capitol Police is astounding.”
It is alleged by the former department official that they did not share intelligence information with the department. Had these leaders shared their intelligence, it likely would have “changed the paradigm of that day” and that during the attack, “they did not try to help or assist as officers and officials were fighting for each other, their lives and the Congress.”
The observer writes, “What I observed was them mostly sitting there, blankly looking at the TV screens showing real-time footage of the officers and officials fighting for the Congress and their lives,” while they were in the command center for part of the attack.
Nine months after the January 6 insurrection, the Capitol Police department faces the fallout from that attack. As a result of the shock of the events and the criticisms issued in response, the department has made fast changes, like providing cell phone alerts on daily intelligence updates to rank-and-file officers.
According to the new chief, Tom Manger, many changes are being made, and they are working on learning from their prior mistakes to continue to carry out the department’s mission.
Tom Manger goes on to say, “The men and women of this Department are committed to that critical mission. Our goal is to work as a team, to move forward, and advance the work that keeps the U.S. Capitol and the people who work here safe.”
Within a month after the attack, members of the department voted Pittman and Gallagher out of office.
To express displeasure with management, unions could vote for no confidence, among the most adversarial actions. It reflected USCP officers’ frustration with management and sent the loudest message they could issue together.
