Capitol police use pepper spray and tear gas to clear the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. | Brent Stirton/Getty Images
By BETSY WOODRUFF SWAN and DANIEL LIPPMAN
11/17/2021 04:30 AM EST
As congressional investigators increasingly scrutinize the performance of the U.S. Capitol Police surrounding the Jan. 6 attacks, a whistleblower says he worries the department is getting off too easy.
The whistleblower told POLITICO that he participated in a 90-minute interview with committee investigators last week, and that more Capitol Police personnel are scheduled to speak with the panel next week. He was at the department’s command center during the attack, POLITICO has confirmed independently, and he has since left the force.
The investigators questioning the whistleblower, who requested anonymity for privacy reasons, were a part of the Jan. 6 select committee focused on law enforcement and referred to as the “Blue Team.” The panel’s tactics both before and during the interview had him worried the committee was too close with the Capitol Police department to conduct an open and honest review, he said.
A committee staffer asked the whistleblower if a lawyer from the police department could be present for his interview, according to emails reviewed by POLITICO. The whistleblower said he found the suggestion troubling, as he did not know how the department learned he was slated to be interviewed. He said he told the staffer he would not participate in any meeting where...
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