Washington – Rep. John Katko says he has received intelligence briefings that suggest the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol was more than a spontaneous attack by an angry mob.
Katko, the top Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, said the briefings raised serious questions about how much planning went into the attack and the security lapses that allowed rioters to reach the House and Senate chambers.
“I’ve had a lot of classified briefings on it, and it’s deeply troubling,” Katko told syracuse.com in an interview Tuesday. “I was left with a profound sense that it was much worse than people realized.”
Katko would not discuss any specific information he received. But he said the briefings from federal authorities were enough to convince him that Congress needs a 9/11-style commission to investigate and subpoena witnesses.
“There are a lot of unanswered questions here, from possible security lapses to who was involved and when they were involved,” Katko said. “We need to have a full stem to stern look back on this to see what happened, how it happened, the sequence of events, who contributed to it, and how we make sure it never happens again.”
Katko, R-Camillus, and two other House Republicans introduced a bill last week that would establish an independent panel modeled after the 9/11 Commission, which probed security weaknesses exposed in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said last week that there’s “strong support” among members of Congress for an independent commission to conduct a review. She didn’t specify if she would support Katko’s bill with Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Ill., or a similar Democratic proposal.
Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., wants to establish a commission to investigate the security failures and find out if there are any ties between Capitol police officers and white supremacists.
Other House Democrats have asked for a separate investigation to find out if those who breached Capitol security had “insider” help from House staffers or security personnel sympathetic to President Donald Trump.
The FBI disclosed in court documents filed Tuesday that a Navy veteran made plans before Jan. 6 with a group of up to 40 people from Virginia, Ohio to storm the Capitol.
The group entered the Capitol from opposite sides and communicated with each other about hunting for members of Congress, The Washington Post reported.
Katko was among 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump last week on a single charge for “incitement of insurrection” after the president encouraged a crowd to interrupt a joint session of Congress.
The joint session was called to certify Joe Biden as the winner of the Electoral College vote for president. Five people, including a Capitol police officer, died in the ensuing violence.
Katko, in his first interview with syracuse.com since the impeachment vote, said he was moved emotionally by the events of the day. Among the Capitol police officers hurt in the violence was Joshua Call, a former intern in Katko’s congressional office. Katko brought him a “care package” from his mother after the attack.
But Katko, a former federal prosecutor, said he didn’t let those emotions influence his decision about the impeachment vote.
“The only thing that impacted me were the facts, but I will never forget talking to him,” Katko said of Call. “I will never forget giving him a hug and telling him he’s going to be OK. I won’t ever forget walking into the Capitol and seeing the destruction. I won’t ever forget hearing about the officer who was killed by being beaten in the head with a fire extinguisher.
“But like I said, I am trained to lock that stuff out of my head and look at the facts objectively, and that’s what I did,” he said. “The only thing that influenced me were the facts and nothing else.”
Katko said he was shaken as he returned to the House floor after the attack to certify the Electoral College vote. But he said it was uplifting to see Vice President Mike Pence and members of Congress determined to press on with the vote into the early morning hours.
“It kind of gave me a sense of comfort that we just took a punch in the face as a country – right in the face – and we got right off the mat and were back at it, doing what we’re supposed to do as a country,” Katko said. “We were certifying the election results. They weren’t able to stop us. The bad elements were overwhelmed by the better angels of society. And that’s a good thing.”
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