WASHINGTON, D.C. – The United States Congress convened in a joint session to certify the election victory of President Joe Biden on Jan. 6. The Senate and House chambers broke their joint session shortly after joining to debate a challenge to the results in Arizona when insurrectionists invaded the hallowed Halls of Congress.
The Secret Service whisked former Vice President Michael Pence off the Senate floor and managed to evacuate all the senators and most of their staff before the insurrectionists found their way into the chamber. The riotous crowd found their way to the House of Representatives, which did not appear to have been informed about what happened in the US Senate. There was not enough time for all representatives or their staff to vacate the chamber before the insurrectionists began their assault on the People’s House.
Five people were killed during the insurrection, including one Capitol Police officer, while other officers were violently assaulted. One officer recalled on CBS News that the crowd had pinned him to the ground and were shouting to grab his department-issued sidearm and kill him with it. Two suicides by Capitol Police have since been attributed to the deadly assault on Washington D.C.
As new information comes to light, the Federal Bureau of Investigation is reporting that rioters were not only receiving text messages informing them where the congresspeople were taken after the assault began, but also had prepared maps of Washington D.C. and the areas around the Capitol building.
“We’ve been here before. The FBI, and the Washington Field Office in particular, has led major, complex investigations—including the terrorist attack on the Pentagon on 9/11, the D.C. sniper case, and the Navy Yard shooting, to name just a few. However, this case is unique in its magnitude and the number of subjects. My pledge to anyone listening to this is that the FBI will carry out the investigative process with rigor and due diligence, following the facts and following the evidence wherever it takes us,” Said Steven D’Antuono the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington office.
According to FBI press releases the agency was concerned about discussions and photos posted online that talked about and even had arrows drawn to certain points around Washington D.C. labeled as rally points for “MAGA Cavalry To Connect Patriot Caravans to StopTheSteal in D.C.”
The FBI has identified other maps that allegedly showed tunnels underneath the Capitol building that connected certain rooms and other areas.
According to the FBI, the insurrectionists had “create perimeter” written across the photos of the maps. In the same string of postings, one person posted, “Be ready to fight. Congress needs to hear glass breaking, doors being kicked in,” the FBI report stated.
“What happened at the Capitol on January 6 has not occurred in over 200 years. We owe it to the American people to find out how and why it did,” Assistant Director D’Antuono. “We are committed to seeing this through—no matter how many people it takes, how many days it takes us, or the resources we’ll need to get it done. We will get to the bottom of this. The American people, and this country, deserve no less.”
The FBI continues to investigate the insurrection, anyone with tips on the topic are encouraged to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or https://tips.fbi.gov/