A US Capitol police car drives past the US Capitol in Washington, USA on January 26, 2021.
Al Drago | Reuters
The U.S. Capitol Police said Friday they had suspended six paid officers and were investigating the conduct of more than two dozen others who helped respond to last month’s deadly riot.
Yogananda Pittman, who took office as incumbent chief shortly after Steven Sund stepped down following the uprising, “has ordered that any member of her department whose conduct does not comply with the department’s code of conduct will be subjected to appropriate discipline,” said the spokesman John Stolnis said in a statement.
The USCP’s Personal Responsibility Office “is investigating the actions of 35 police officers as of that day,” six of whom are currently suspended for payment, the statement said.
The January 6 attack by supporters of then-President Donald Trump, who attempted to dismiss the November election results, resulted in five deaths and sent a joint session of Congress looking at security.
The investigation update comes days after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Announced that Congress would set up an independent commission to deal with the attack. Pelosi’s office did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment on the USCP statement.
Dozens of officers from across the country who took part in the riot or attended Trump’s rally nearby before the mob attacked the Capitol were investigated by their departments, according to an Associated Press poll last month. Some have been charged while others have been on leave, the AP reported.
The security failure that resulted in the Capitol being overrun by Trump’s supporters sparked a massive backlash against the USCP and its leadership. The department’s police union reportedly passed a vote of no confidence in the armed forces’ top leaders, including Pittman, earlier this month.
– CNBC’s Christian Nunley contributed to this report.
