Newly released text messages shine light on how CIA personnel responded to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot and the discovery of pipe bombs near the Republican and Democratic Party headquarters.
CIA personnel referred to the agency’s actions during and after the Capitol riot in text messages categorized as the “January 7 Intel Chain,” heavily redacted records obtained by Judicial Watch show.
The text thread includes one message referencing “several CIA dog teams on standby” during a discussion about a drone at the southwest part of the Capitol and talks with Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department over radio capabilities.
Another text states “two CIA Bomb Techs” were going to New Jersey Avenue and D Street to analyze the pipe bombs discovered outside of the RNC and DNC headquarters in the nation’s capital. A heavily redacted series of messages notes the existence of up to five devices discovered by the FBI at the location and a command post set up near Jersey Avenue.
“Just made contact with [redacted] FBI is reporting an additional 3 possible devices for a total of 5 now,” the text message reads. The FBI is still searching for the individual responsible for planting the devices over three years later. Video footage released by the FBI in September 2021 shows the suspect sitting outside of the DNC where the suspect appears to have planted the devices on January 5, 2021. The FBI believes the suspect is not from the Washington, D.C., area and is conducting a nationwide search.
CIA officials sent each other updates on the rioting inside the Capitol and injuries suffered by Capitol Police officers. The death of civilian Ashli Babbitt during the protest was also discussed by CIA personnel.
A text message sent by a CIA official addressing whether the devices were loaded is redacted. The same official said bomb techs were also sent to the Capitol to survey the damage.
“These striking records show that CIA resources were deployed in reaction to the January 6 disturbance,” said Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton.
The pipe bombs discovered on January 6 were scrutinized by House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight chairman Barry Loudermilk (R., Ga.) in a report released on Monday detailing the events of January 6 and the investigation of those events by the January 6 Committee. Loudermilk’s report accuses the Capitol police of failing to properly respond to the discovery of the pipe bombs around the RNC and DNC. Failures by the Capitol Police to secure the area meant civilians were placed in harms way and the crime scene was contaminated prior to evidence collection, the report notes.
“As a result of the USSS’s failure to properly sweep the DNC, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris came within feet of a viable pipe bomb, which if detonated could have caused serious bodily harm to the Vice President-elect as well as her security detail. It is obvious that the security sweep was not successful, allowing the Vice President-elect to transit within mere feet of the pipe bomb,” the report states.
Footage from K-9 sweeps by Secret Service agents before Harris’s visit was shown by Loudermilk at a hearing on Tuesday addressing the pipe bombs, The Hill reported. Capitol Police official Sean Gallagher attributed the response failures to police being needed at the Capitol to respond to the riot.
The January 6 Committee did not put significant resources toward investigating the pipe bombs, Loudermilk’s report says. Moreover, the committee allegedly deleted records before Republicans took over the house majority and failed to release transcripts of key witness testimony.