Capitol riot hearing announced with police, sergeant at arms, as senators examine security failures

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The Senate is expected to hold its first joint oversight hearing next week to examine the "security failures" that lead to the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, featuring testimony with former top officials who were responsible for security.

Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Gary Peters, D-Mich., and ranking member Rob Portman, R-Ohio; along with House Rules Committee Chairwoman Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and ranking member Roy Blunt, R-Mo., announced the hearing will take Tuesday, Feb. 23 at 10 a.m.

PELOSI PUSHES BACK ON HOUSE GOP QUESTIONS ABOUT SECURITY AHEAD OF CAPITOL RIOT

The committees invited Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department Chief Robert Contee, former Senate Sergeant-at-Arms and Doorkeeper Michael Stenger, former House Sergeant-at-Arms and former U.S. Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund to testify on the preparations and response efforts on Jan. 6.

It is unclear, at this point, if the officials will accept the invitation to testify. 

The announcement of the hearing comes after Peters, Portman, Klobuchar, Blunt and a number of other Democrat and Republican Senate Committee leaders requested 22 agencies and departments to provide information related to the preparations for the response to the Capitol riot — which took place during a joint session of Congress intended to certify the Electoral College results in favor of President Biden. The senators also requested information on the "subsequent security failures."

HOUSE REPUBLICANS DEMAND ANSWERS FROM PELOSI ABOUT SECURITY DECISIONS LEADING UP TO CAPITOL RIOT

Sund resigned from his post on Jan. 7, the day following the Capitol riot. That resignation took effect on Jan. 16. 

At the request of then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Stenger resigned from his post on Jan. 7 as Senate sergeant-at-arms; and at the request of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Irving resigned from his post as House sergeant-at-arms.