Padilla Questions Officials in First Oversight Hearing of January 6th Capitol Attack

Press Release

Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) participated in the first oversight hearing on the January 6th attack on the United States Capitol as a member of both the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and the Rules and Administration Committee. Witnesses included Former Chief of Police Steven A. Sund, Former Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper Michael C. Stenger, Sergeant at Arms Paul D. Irving, and Acting Chief of Police for Washington, D.C. Robert J. Contee III.

During the joint hearing that examined the security failures surrounding the attack, Padilla pushed Former Chief of Police Sund for answers regarding the drastic difference in use of force and police presence for the peaceful Black Lives Matter protests last summer versus the January 6th attack on the Capitol. Padilla highlighted the stark difference in numbers of arrests, clearly demonstrating that Black Lives Matter protesters were met with more force than the insurrectionists on January 6th.

Key Highlights:

PADILLA: One thing that was not lost on me and many people that I've talked to is the difference in both police presence and response on January 6th, compared to events from last summer when peaceful protesters were demonstrating in the nation's Capitol in the wake of George Floyd's murder.
PADILLA: 250 individuals who were involved in the Capitol insurrection of January 6th have been arrested. More will likely be arrested in the coming weeks and months, but only a small number, about 52 of these individuals were arrested on January 6th. By contrast, during the largely peaceful protest of last summer, 427 people were arrested. On June 1st alone, 289 people were arrested.
PADILLA: So question, Mr. Sund, can you tell us exactly how the Capitol Police preparations for January 6th differed from preparations for the protests from last summer?

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