House committee opens investigation into Capitol mob breach

The House committee that funds the U.S. Capitol Police said Thursday it was opening an investigation into the security failures that allowed a violent mob of President Trump’s supporters to breach the Capitol building on Wednesday.

“The breach of the Capitol raises serious questions about what law enforcement did and what they should have done differently,” House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) and House Appropriations Legislative Branch Subcommittee Chairman Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) said in a joint statement.

“To ensure the safety of those who work and visit here, we must get to the bottom of these breakdowns and prevent them from ever happening again,” they added.

The Appropriations Legislative Branch Subcommittee oversees the Capitol Police, as well as other security agencies responsible for the Capitol such as the sergeant at arms. 

The investigation, they said, would include hearings “to directly question key leaders about what went wrong.”

Those leaders are likely to include Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund, the Sergeants at Arms from each chamber and the Architect of the Capitol, which together comprise the Capitol Police’s oversight board.