Pelosi taps retired Army general to lead immediate review of Capitol attack

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Friday named retired Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré to head up an immediate review of last week’s domestic terrorist attack on the Capitol that will focus on “security infrastructure, interagency processes and procedures, and command and control.”

“To protect our democracy, we must now subject the security of the U.S. Capitol Complex to rigorous scrutiny,” Pelosi said in a statement, just five days before President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration at the Capitol.

Her appointment of Honoré comes nine days after armed pro-Trump extremists overwhelmed Capitol Police and stormed the building in a failed bid to halt lawmakers from certifying Joe Biden’s election victory.

Five people died in the violent clash, including a Capitol Police officer and a woman who was fatally shot as she tried to gain access to the House floor. Thousands of National Guard troops have now been deployed to guard the Capitol amid credible security threats aimed at disrupting Wednesday’s inauguration ceremony.  

Honoré is perhaps best known for serving as commander of the Joint Task Force Katrina, which coordinated the military’s relief efforts for those impacted by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. He worked with congressional leaders in that role.

The retired Army general was a former director for operations with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, where his focus was military support to civil authorities, Pelosi said, and he has deep experience with security issues in the D.C. region.

A native of Louisiana, his nickname is the “Ragin’ Cajun.”

Numerous investigations into the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection are underway, including by the FBI, Capitol Police, D.C. Metro Police and multiple House and Senate committees. 

“Members of Congress are moving forward inside the Congress with strong oversight from their committees, and there is strong support for an outside commission to conduct an after action review,” Pelosi said. “In the meantime, I am grateful that General Honoré has agreed to address our immediate security concerns.”