Senate panel: U.S. intelligence ignored warnings of Jan. 6 violence

June 27 (UPI) -- An investigation by the Democrat-led Senate Homeland Security Committee has concluded that federal law enforcement agencies brushed aside numerous warnings about the potential for violence in the days leading up to the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

The panel, led by Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., released Tuesday the 106-page report, "Planned in Plain Sight," which is critical of the FBI and Homeland Security's Office of Intelligence and Analysis for downplaying threats and public attack plans that emerged before a violent mob stormed Congress in an effort to disrupt certification of President Joe Biden's election.

"What was shocking is that this attack was essentially planned in plain sight in social media," Peters said. "And yet it seemed as if our intelligence agencies completely dropped the ball."

The FBI and Homeland Security Department failed to prepare for a potential riot, despite a flood of intelligence that pointed to a would-be insurrection, the report concluded.

The report cites a memo from the FBI's Washington field office that showed the agency was aware of multiple online threats in the form of videos, social media posts and message board chats -- all of which detailed plans for an imminent attack on Washington.

The report also reveals the FBI issued two intelligence briefings the day before the riot -- one from the New Orleans field office and another from Norfolk, Va. -- however, neither warning was distributed to law enforcement officials in Washington prior to the attack.

The report said intelligence agents focused too much attention on lone-wolf actors and the potential for violence that could have erupted between the Trump supporters and counterprotesters.

The bureau's communications, along with other internal government documents, showed officials were indifferent to the threats, calling them isolated and not to be taken seriously, the panel found.

At the time, the FBI said it did "not have any information to suggest these events will involve anything other than [First Amendment] protected activity," while adding that the agency had "identified no credible or verified threat" before Jan. 6.

But the report shows that as early as December, the FBI received a tip that warned the far-right Proud Boys were planning for violence following President Donald Trump's election loss a month earlier.

Additionally, the investigation found that four days before the riot, the social media platform Parler reached out to the FBI about a threat posted by a user that read, "This is not a rally and it's no longer a protest. This is a final stand where we are drawing the red line at Capitol Hill. ... don't be surprised if we take the #capital building."

"At a fundamental level, the agencies failed to fulfill their mission and connect the public and nonpublic information they received," the report says.

In the weeks before the riot, extreme right-wing rhetoric was running hot on most social networks, but the panel found officials inside both agencies were collectively nonchalant, advising U.S. Capitol Police and the Washington Metropolitan Police to expect a garden-variety political protest on Jan. 6.

Instead, the Trump's most radical supporters overran the Capitol, believing the uprising would keep him in office after he lost the electoral vote but falsely claimed to his followers that the process was rigged.

Last year, an investigation by the congressional committee investigating the attack found evidence of a wider conspiracy involving Republican aides and allies across the nation, including campaign officials in critical swing states, who allegedly served as phantom electors in a scheme to throw the election for Trump.

The select committee recommended four criminal charges against Trump to the Justice Department, including obstruction of an official proceeding of the U.S. government, as well as conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to make false statements and to "incite," "assist" or "aid or comfort" an insurrection.

Special Counsel Jack Smith continues to investigate the former president's failed efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, as well as his alleged mishandling of classified documents after leaving office, for which Trump faces 37 federal charges.

A separate investigation by the Justice Department's inspector general continues to look into failures made by the FBI and DOJ in the Capitol attack.