Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) sent a letter to FBI and Department of Justice leadership Tuesday, demanding answers to a long list of unanswered questions on the January 6 Capitol attack.
Many of the questions focus on any potential red flags that the agencies ignored in the days leading to the attack, and coordination with other law enforcement entities. Reports have surfaced since the attack which show an internal FBI report identifying a swell in calls for violence amid rightwing online communities. Another showed that dozens of people on the FBI’s terrorist watch list were in Washington D.C. during the insurrection.
Grassley and Durbin also asked about what actions the agencies are taking now, in regards to any charging guidance given to prosecutors as members of the pro-Trump mob are rounded up and arrested.
Durbin should be the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Grassley the ranking member, but neither has assumed his title as the Senate organizing resolution is still being ironed out. Both men signed the letter as just “senator” without their titles.
Durbin indicated to reporters Tuesday that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is the reason for the organizing resolution holdup even after he backed down from his filibuster threat a few weeks ago. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) released official committee assignments Tuesday evening, one of the last points of debate holding up the resolution. A resolution vote could happen as soon as tomorrow.
In the meantime, Grassley and Durbin are teaming up to request information of FBI Director Chris Wray and acting Attorney General Monty Wilkinson (whose acting role is another wrinkle left by the delayed organizing resolution — Sen. Lindsay Graham, the outgoing Senate Judiciary chair, is refusing to cooperate with Durbin about the start date for Attorney General nominee Merrick Garland’s hearing).
Grassley and Durbin requested the information be provided by February 16, and announced a separate hearing with Wray on March 2.
Read the letter here:
