Trump supporters were breaching the Capitol as Homeland Security claimed 'no major incidents of illegal activity'
A Homeland Security whistleblower came forward Sunday to reveal that under President Donald Trump's administration, he and other DHS officials were ordered to downplay possible threats on the United States from Russia and white supremacists and to play up incidents at the border.
The misinformation stretched even further, according to Politico reporter Betsy Woodruff Swan, who revealed Tuesday that DHS sent out reports saying everything was fine during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
"There are no major incidents of illegal activity at this time," read an internal Army email sent to senior leaders at 1:40 p.m. on Jan. 6. It was referring to an update they had received moments before from DHS's National Operations Center (NOC).
The email was obtained from a public records request by the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW).
"These emails raise serious questions about the response to the threat of January 6th," Swan cited spokesperson Jordan Libowitz, from CREW.
The documents show that the first report from DHS on Jan. 6 at 1:30 p.m. EST didn't even have to do with the mass of Trump supporters marching with weapons to the Capitol. That communication was about the National Guard troops deployed in Wisconsin "in anticipation of prosecutorial decision" in the case of the police officer who shot Jacob Blake in the back seven times. They said that there was 851 National Guard personnel ready on hand. They weren't needed there.
The second item on the report says: "In the last 2 hrs - There are no major incidents of illegal activity at this time."
They also mentioned what they characterized as "non-issues," such as a suspicious package at a Metro station near the Capitol. Threats by the Proud Boys "to shut down the water system in the downtown area," weren't credible. It then mentioned, "Protestors near 16th & Pennsylvania Ave reportedly with baseball bats; exaggerated report."
It then commented on two buildings being evacuated because of a bomb threat against the Capitol Hill Club. That was the pipebomb found in front of the Republican Party headquarters and the one found at the Democratic National Committee. The FBI believes that the bombs were placed to explode and distract police from the U.S. Capitol so insurrectionists could get into the building without any barriers.
See the documents and read the full story from Betsy Woodruff Swan here.
In other Trump news Tuesday, Wall Street mega-donors are bailing on Trump, turning their giving toward Florida's Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. WATCH:
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