Leadership that completely ignores the concerns of agents on the ground, combined with inconsistent communication protocols and a lack of preparation, lead to outcomes like the Secret Service's failures on Jan. 6, 2021, a former agent told The Daily Caller.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) Report A report detailing police operations on the day of the Capitol attack was released on July 31. Former investigators said a fundamental breakdown in communication between the agencies led to gaps in intelligence gathering and coordination between the police and the U.S. Capitol Police (USCP).
“Ultimately, what happened was that the Capitol Police and the Secret Service, or ultimately whoever was responsible for security, didn't have the manpower or didn't accurately anticipate what would be needed,” former Secret Service agent Dean Peterson told the Caller. “And so, it seems like they were caught off guard, which led to some poor ad-hoc decisions.”
But Peterson said the potential for chaos was clear and the incident would be “inexcusable.”
“I think I'm shocked by what the intelligence community is telling us, or not telling us. I don't think you have to be a participant in this or have intimate knowledge of this to see, 'Wow, this is an unusual election situation,'” Peterson said.
In a statement provided to The Daily Caller, the Secret Service said it cooperated fully with the OIG and “has taken steps to implement the majority of the recommendations” in the report.
“The United States Secret Service (USSS) has an absolute mission to protect our nation's leaders. The actions taken by our personnel on January 6, 2021 demonstrate their dedication to preventing harm to those under Secret Service protection and supporting the U.S. Capitol Police,” the agency said. “We are continually improving our operations with those under our protection and benefit from oversight and investigation.”
One example of the department's shortcomings, according to the OIG report, was allowing Vice President-elect Kamala Harris to come within 20 feet of a pipe bomb at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) building in Washington, D.C.
The report said the department sent two separate canine teams, but not explosive ordnance disposal teams (EOD), to search the Democratic National Committee building where Capitol Police found the bomb on the morning of Jan. 6, surprising investigators on the scene.
The Secret Service Operations Unit maintained that it did not request an EOD team because Department of Defense (DoD) regulations require EOD to be notified 72 hours in advance, but the OIG found seven instances in which EOD support was requested and approved even though it was submitted less than 72 hours before the protected person's visit.
“72 hours or not, the job has to be done. 72 hours doesn't make sense to me if the people in custody are going to be moved somewhere else,” Michael Matranga told the Daily Caller. (Related: Secret Service agents abandon duties to protect President Trump while he breastfeeds: Report)
Matranga said the authorities' excuses were strange and that policy should not get in the way of safety.
According to the FBI, the suspect is accused of placing two pipe bombs, one at the Democratic National Convention and one at the Republican National Convention, on the evening of January 5th.
#FBI On January 5th we released a new video of a pipe bomber. If you have any information about this person, please https://t.co/t8G7LO4hxu or call 1-800-CALL-FBI. pic.twitter.com/7seL8Lv24V
— FBI Washington Field (@FBIWFO) September 8, 2021
At approximately 12:42 p.m. on January 6, USCP received a report of an “explosive device” sighted at the Republican National Convention. According to About 20 minutes later, authorities discovered another “trap” had been set up while Harris was still inside the Democratic National Convention.
The riot at the Capitol began around 1 p.m. According to Report of the special committee investigating the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Footage provided to Revolver News' Darren Beatty by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky shows a group of young students walking near the site of the alleged bomb at the Democratic National Convention after authorities discovered it.
If the Secret Service's nonchalance seemed odd before, it's now downright scandalous.
The footage shows a group of Secret Service agents standing near the pipe bomb as well as a group of children crossing the road towards the bomb site… pic.twitter.com/LXRO5BxLN3
— Darren J. Beattie 🌐 (@DarrenJBeattie) January 18, 2024
Police have not identified a suspect in planting the bomb. Offering A $500,000 reward is being offered for any useful information.
Matranga told the Caller that the chaos is mainly due to a lack of leadership.
“The problem is the 8th floor, the headquarters. They're not listening,” Matranga said. “Procedures and policies need to be fundamentally changed to adapt to the current threat landscape.”
The July 31 OIG report said intelligence agencies put together an intelligence packet “containing information indicating a potential threat against the Capitol,” but the Secret Service never received it.
Two officers from the Secret Service task force reported they had heard “general intelligence” about potential protests but “nothing unusual or unusual,” but the OIG report said those officers later discovered they had not been included on an email list set up to monitor pre-inauguration threats.
The Secret Service relies on intelligence agencies, including the CIA, FBI and NSA, for information, but the process is far from streamlined, former operatives said.
While people assume these agencies are doing a good job, Matranga told the Caller that's not always the case: Sometimes the agencies provide “very good” information, but other times it's woefully lacking.
Matranga and Peterson said communication between the CIA and the intelligence community needs to be significantly more efficient.
“The Secret Service has to be at a higher position at the negotiating table with the intelligence community because of the work they do,” Peterson said. “Too much information is not being communicated appropriately and in a timely manner, and that's a big problem.”
“At the end of the day, this is a communication breakdown that's been going on for a very long time. It's a jurisdictional issue,” Matranga said.
As unrest began and protesters entered the Rotunda, the Secret Service's uniformed chief offered to send additional officers to assist the United States Capitol Police (USCP). The chief then delegated that responsibility to his deputy chief, who told the OIG:[He] The Chief requested another USSS officer to assist in sending assistance to the USCP, but did not appear to know who he had requested.”
The report said it took about an hour and a half from the time the Secret Service first offered to assist the USCP to the time it finally sent in additional officers, who “may not have been as helpful as higher-ups had anticipated.”
VIDEO: Rioters storm the Capitol after a pro-Trump rally at the Ellipse on Wednesday afternoon.
story: https://t.co/PYIxwk66kD
📹: Elijah Shaffer pic.twitter.com/CmHhfAJxTl
— 7News DC (@7NewsDC) January 7, 2021
An email sent by the Secret Service's Protective Intelligence and Assessment Division (PID) to the director of the Secret Service at about 3:47 p.m. said 100 officers had been deployed to the Capitol and another 100 were expected to be deployed “within the next hour.”
The OIG concluded that the 100 figure “far exceeds the actual number of officers who could be identified as being at the scene.” The report also noted that “Secret Service leaders have provided inconsistent recollections about the source of these estimates…”
“I'm forced to believe either a lie about available resources or a major oversight in how resources are allocated overall,” Peterson said of the response.
The report also said some officers were better trained and equipped to deal with the rioters than to guard the Dirksen Senate Building, an assessment Peterson agreed with.
Chaos before the police line was breached pic.twitter.com/3G2KWineV4
— Richie McG (@RichieMcGinniss) January 7, 2021
“We had great officers ready to respond immediately because they were all trained to do so,” Peterson told the Caller.
Peterson said everyone needs to be prepared for civil disobedience and said he was “a little perplexed” by the lack of additional support.
Matranga expressed a lack of leadership support across the agency, a sentiment echoed by Peterson, who suggested the agency might be better off firing some of its career bureaucrats.(RELATED: Whistleblower says the acting director of the Secret Service 'retaliated' against agents who had security concerns at Trump event)
In its report, OIG made six recommendations to the Secret Service, four of which the agency agreed to: OIG suggested a reevaluation of the Secret Service's agreement with UCSP, improved policy guidance regarding requests for Technical Security Division (TSD) personnel, improved policy guidelines regarding requests for EOD personnel, and appropriate procedures for the agency to conduct post-action investigations, all of which the Secret Service agreed to.
However, the Secret Service did not agree with two of the OIG's recommendations: The agency backed away from OIG's recommendation to develop protocols for providing police with Civil Disturbance Unit (CDU) support and to implement training to direct dog sweeps when TSD is not on scene.
According to the report, the agency “opposes the development and implementation of protocols to provide CDU assistance to assist law enforcement partners in the Capital Region in the event of an emergency such as the one that occurred on January 6, 2021.”
“The Secret Service stated that its primary mission limits its ability to provide emergency assistance to other law enforcement partners,” the OIG report noted. (RELATED: Inspector General accuses Biden DHS of trying to cover up critical Jan. 6 report)
It said Secret Service operating procedures would be updated in April 2022 to “require agents in the field to be trained to direct dog sweeps,” and urged the OIG to close its recommendations.
Instead of addressing agents' concerns, Matranga said leadership is encouraging agents to make the most of their current resources.
“July 13th was a blessing. It was a blessing.”
