Dept. of Homeland Security OIG Releases Report on Secret Service’s response to Jan. 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol

On July 31, the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a partially redacted report reviewing the Secret Service’s handling of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

The OIG report—which is based on interviews with over 100 Secret Service personnel and the contents of over 183,000 emails and attachments from members of the Secret Service—examined the actions and decisions of the Secret Service before and during the attack.

The report found that the Secret Service’s Protective Intelligence and Assessment Division produced two threat assessments prior to Jan. 6 that did not anticipate the level of violence that ultimately occurred. Secret Service coordination meetings prior to the events of that day “did not raise alarms about a high potential for violence,” the report said.

The report also determined that the Secret Service failed to thoroughly sweep the bushes at the Democratic National Committee’s headquarters, where a pipe bomb had been placed the night before the attack on the Capitol. Vice President Kamala Harris walked within 20 feet of the device, which remained undetonated.

The report emphasized the need for improved security measures and protocols to prevent such lapses in the future and made several recommendations to improve Secret Service preparation and agility.

“Although it did not anticipate or plan for the level of violence that ultimately occurred that day, the Secret Service took actions to respond to and mitigate the threats it encountered and avoid any harm to its protectees,” the report concluded.

You can read the report here or below: