US House Minority Leader Seeks Non-Partisan Probe Of January 6 Capitol Hill Riot

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st January, 2021) A bipartisan investigation should determine why US lawmakers received no warning prior to the December 6 riot, even though Capitol Police were reportedly told by the FBI that Congress had become a target for protesters, House of Representatives Minority Leader Keven McCarthy told reporters on Thursday.

McCarthy cited media reports indicating that the FBI had an advance warning and notified Capitol Police prior to the riot, in which a group of then-President Donald Trump' supporters entered the US Capitol in a bid to protest lawmakers' certifying elector slates from US battleground states that Trump claims were invalid and robbed him of election victory.

The chief of Capitol Police and the sergeant-at-arms in both the House and Senate resigned following the riot.

"I want to know why the Republican leader was not notified of that. Why was I not notified to make sure we were protected," McCarthy said.

Other security issues cited by McCarthy, included whether the National Guard was deployed soon enough during the melee and basic information such as which entrances are routinely protected.

"The only way you're going to be able to answer these questions is through a bipartisan commission," McCarthy said.