According to Representative Tim Ryan, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, two Capitol Police agents have been suspended after supporters of President Trump stormed the Capitol. Ryan said Monday that there were “10 to 15” investigations of Capitol Police officers.
The actions of some Capitol Police operatives have come under scrutiny after videos Wednesday showed some rioters entered the Capitol with ease. Some agents appeared to be friends with the rioters in the videos. Ryan said one officer who took selfies with rioters and another who donned Mr. Trump’s signature red “Make America Great Again” hat were banned.
“There were two people suspended, one was the selfie officer. And the other was an officer who put on a MAGA hat and handed some people around. I don’t know – let them in, let them out – exactly what it was. was, but it was the interim chief who decided he was eligible for immediate suspension, ”the Ohio Democrat said in a conference call Monday.
Ryan added that the Capitol Police “is looking at all those involved who could have facilitated in some way on a large or small level.”
In the aftermath of the riot, morale among the regular officers has deteriorated, multiple sources told CBS News. The sources said the department had “a few incidents” where officers threatened to injure themselves.
The riot, in which Trump supporters sought to reverse President-elect Joe Biden’s victory, also led to the resignation of Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund, and lawmakers calling for an investigation into what happened.
Some have questioned whether the incident was an inside job, including House Minority Whip James Clyburn.
“Who opened those side doors for these protesters, or I call them these gangsters, to get into the building, not through the main entrance where there are magnetometers, but through side doors? Yes, someone inside those buildings was complicit in this.” Clyburn said in an interview with CBSN on Fridays.
Two Capitol Police officers have died since the riot. Four other civilians are also dead.
Michael Kaplan contributed to this report.