The criticisms of whistleblowers were directed at Congress, not just Capitol Police officers. His letter, which he did not name, accuses Congress leaders of deliberately failing to tell the truth about department failures.
POLITICO received the letter detailing the allegations and is publishing portions here. POLITICO will not publish the entire letter to protect the identity of whistleblowers.
Although truth may not be as important as politics for many members of Congress, including those who made decisions regarding the leadership of USCP after January 6, 2017, I believe truth still matters to real people, and especially the men and women in the U.S. Capitol Police.
In response to the letter, a spokesperson from Capitol Police issued a statement that stated: Much has changed since January 6. While there are still many issues to be resolved, the majority of those mentioned in the letter have been addressed.
A spokesperson said that many of the recommendations in the Jan. 6 Senate inquiry were implemented and continue to be implemented by the department. This was in addition to a separate review by Russel Honor and multiple probes conducted by its inspector general.
The former employee's letter echoes those thoughtful recommendations, the Capitol Police spokesperson said. Under new Chief Tom Manger of the USCP, leaders are determined to learn from past mistakes and protect our brave officers who fought valiantly January 6th, so that we can carry out the Department's crucial mission. This critical mission is the commitment of all Department personnel. Our goal is to work together, to move forward, to advance the work that protects the U.S. Capitol, and all those who live here,
The letter was addressed to Nancy Pelosi (House Speaker), Chuck Schumer (Senate Majority Leader), Mitch McConnell (Senate Minority Leader) and Kevin McCarthy (House Minority Leader). A copy was also sent to the House Administration Committees Republican staff.
Pittman was accused by the whistleblower of lying to Congress about an intelligence report that it received in December. The report stated that "thedonald.win" had posted a map of Capitol Campus and that comments on the site called on protesters to take guns and confront Congressmen on January 6.
In April, Pittman revealed to congressional investigators that senior officials at the department knew about the intelligence prior to the attack. However, Pittman claimed in his letter that the intelligence report was not received by other officials and that Pittman had lied when she claimed that they did.
These were the only officials who had all intelligence information about the 6th, according to the whistleblower. This includes Gallagher, Pittman, and others.
The most critical piece of intelligence information... was never shared by any USCP leadership members, the whistleblower said, adding that they were unsure why they approved the operational plan for the sixth if they had the intelligence.
Senior law enforcement officials stated that the intelligence was actually available to other department employees, but it should have been shared more widely. A spokesperson for Capitol Police refuted the claim that Pittman lied about it to Congress. He also noted that the department had changed its intelligence-sharing practices due to the attack.
The whistleblower said that the report was not the only piece of intelligence that did not reach the correct people within the department. The whistleblower also wrote that Gallagher, Pittman had information showing that groups who received permits to hold events around the Capitol on January 6 were all part of Stop the Steal operations.
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Stop the Steal promoted the conspiracy theory that Trump was stolen by nefarious people. The organizers of the movement promoted a rally at the National Mall, which preceded the attack on Capitol.
The whistleblower said that this was important information. However, operational commanders did not know about it. This refers to the law enforcement officers who were in the field supervising the police activity.
According to whistleblowers, Gallagher, Pittman had all the intelligence necessary to justify asking for reinforcements from National Guard. They also closed the Capitol doors and used tougher, but less-lethal weapons on Jan. 6. The whistleblower said that they did not share this intelligence with the right people and instead approved an inadequate security plan.
He also claimed that he spent many hours in the Capitol Polices Command Center during the attack with Pittman, Gallagher and said that they did not do much to stop the violence. Two other law enforcement officers and a third witness confirmed the whistleblower's presence at the command center Jan. 6.
These three people had different accounts about how long the whistleblower was present. One person claimed he was there six hours, while another stated he was present for several hours. A third person said he was only there for two hours.
The whistleblower said that they were mostly staring blankly at TV screens showing live footage of officials and officers fighting for the Congress and their own lives.
He said that it is my belief that the two men with malice and intent chose not to help the officers and officials and instead blamed others for the failures and tried to use the event to their own promotions. This took place while officers and officials were fighting the demonstrators, not after the event[t].
He said that they tended to watch with their hands in the laps and didn't try to assist or help because officers and officials were fighting for their lives and the Congress.
Two law enforcement officials who confirmed Gallagher and Pittman's presence at the command center refuted the claim that they watched the attacks passively. These officials stated that Gallagher was focused on bringing in support for the National Guard and law enforcement partners and Pittman on the evacuation of Congressmen and the protection of the vice president.
However, the whistleblower wrote that officers and officials have resigned from their department en masse as Pittman and Gallagher aren't being held responsible for what happened on that day.
The whistleblower stated that this concerted effort to defend the two Department members most responsible for the tragedy of January 6th was repulsive.
The whistleblower also criticized congressional leadership for allowing Gallagher, Pittman to continue their senior roles within the police department, even though a new chief was appointed at the Capitol Police.
He wrote that it was extremely embarrassing for the congressional leadership and staff to select the two most responsible individuals for the 6th to head the Department after the 6th. They are especially embarrassing because they were selected by an entity without any investigation. This group would have to admit their mistakes in order to hold them responsible.
