Tom Homan, former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, urged Americans not to blame “the brave law enforcement officers who put their lives on the line to defend the Capitol” from the mob of protesters who stormed the building.
Homan made his comments Friday in a column posted by Fox News.
“Responding to justified outrage by members of Congress demanding their resignations, Capitol Police Chief Steven A. Sund, House Sergeant at Arms Paul D. Irving and Senate Sergeant at Arms Michael C. Stenger are all resigning in the wake of their failure to prepare for the attack,” he said.
But he maintained that “Capitol Police officers and others on the scene did all they could, but they were set up to fail by their leaders.
“And sadly, Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, a 12-year veteran of the force, paid the ultimate price. He died Thursday after being severely injured in the rioting.”
Homan claimed law enforcement at the Capitol was understaffed because of poor planning by its leadership.
“The Capitol Police are currently understaffed,” he said. “Police agencies around the country generally have a hard time recruiting, and the Capitol Police Department is no exception. This is due in part to the hate and vilification that some members of Congress and other elected officials in state and local government have directed against police.”
And he noted police officials “clearly underestimated the potential for violence.”
“We all have the right to protest peacefully, but we can’t afford to condone criminal activity, regardless of the merits of the issue being protested,” Homan said.
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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