US Capitol building security faces investigation

A day after hundreds of pro-Trump protesters caused the most damaging attack on the US Capitol building since the British army burned it in 1814, lawmakers sought answers as to why security at the building was so lax despite warnings of possible violence and why it took so long for reinforcements for the Capitol Police to arrive.

Four people died in the rioting on Wednesday, including a woman who was shot and three others who suffered medical conditions.

Steven Sund, the Capitol Police chief, said in a statement that the officer who fatally shot Ashli Babbitt, who was among a group of Trump supporters trying to force their way into the House chamber, was put on administrative leave while the shooting is being investigated.

Sund said his officers "responded valiantly" when demonstrators attacked them with "metal pipes, discharged chemical irritants and took up other weapons". They also found two pipe bombs.

Capitol Police didn't respond to media inquiries about why they hadn't cordoned off the area or brought in more support officers ahead of the protests, which President Donald Trump urged to be "wild".

The breakdown in security at the Capitol could be seen in the hours of live television showing protesters storming the building as Capitol Police struggled with them but were far outnumbered.

Democratic Representative Tim Ryan of Ohio, who chairs a committee that oversees the Capitol Police budget, said Wednesday night that he expected officials to be fired.

On Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called for Sund to resign, saying "he hasn't even called us since this happened".

"Many of our Capitol Police just acted so bravely and with such concern for the staff, the members, for the Capitol ... and they deserve our gratitude. But there was a failure at the top of the Capitol Police," Pelosi said.

She also announced that Paul Irving, the House sergeant-at-arms, intended to resign.

Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the minority leader, said he would fire Michael Stenger, the Senate sergeant-at-arms, as soon as Democrats took the Senate majority, unless he has left his position before then.

The sergeants-at-arms are responsible for security in their respective chambers and related office buildings.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a statement that "a painstaking investigation and thorough review" was needed after the events of Wednesday as a joint session of Congress was tabulating the Electoral College votes for president and vice-president.

McConnell said that "the ultimate blame for yesterday lies with the unhinged criminals who broke down doors, trampled our nation's flag, fought with law enforcement, and tried to disrupt our democracy, and with those who incited them".

"But this fact does not and will not preclude our addressing the shocking failures in the Capitol's security posture and protocols."

Ryan told reporters on Wednesday that no one was supposed to be near the Capitol.

"You would be reasonably close, to be able to protest and express your view, but nobody belongs on the Capitol plaza, nobody ever goes on the Capitol steps, that is an illegal act," he said.

On Thursday, crews installed 7-foot-high fencing around the Capitol.

Organizers were preparing for an expected crowd of 5,000 on Tuesday and more than 30,000 throughout the week, according to permits issued by the National Park Service.

Local government officials warned that the events could turn tumultuous, which was echoed by numerous messages on social media.

Security at the "The People's House" is controlled by Congress. After the Sept11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Congress increased the size of the police force from about 800 to about 2,000. The department's annual budget is about $460 million.

Congress has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to upgrade the complex's security, adding anti-vehicle barricades and building a new underground complex to screen visitors far from the Capitol itself.

Senator Chris Murphy, the top Democrat on the Senate subcommittee overseeing the Capitol Police, said "obviously, we are going to have to look at the way we spend money on the Capitol police".

The FBI sought the public's help in identifying the rioters. Some of the 68 people arrested after Wednesday's incidents were due in court Thursday.