Ryan Says 2 Capitol Police Officers Suspended

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-13 Ohio, told reporters moments ago that two Capitol Police officers have been suspended in the wake of last Wednesday’s riot and storming of the U.S. Capitol.

“There were two people suspended. One was the selfie officer and another was an officer who had put a MAGA hat on and started directing some people around,” Ryan said in a virtual press conference Monday.

Ryan is the chairman of the chairman of the legislative branch subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, which oversees funding for the Capitol Police.

Another individual has been arrested, though Ryan could not say specifically whether the person was affiliated with Capitol Police or another law enforcement agency.

The congressman added that he has heard 10 to 15 incidents are under investigation, he said.

So far, Ryan said he has no direct evidence that this was an “inside job,” with security providing information to the protesters about access or the whereabouts of specific lawmakers.

Federal officials are trying to balance finding out what happened Jan. 6 and the days leading up to it with meeting requests for more manpower to defend the Capitol, Ryan said. The focus of the investigation now, he emphasized, is to find any information related to the Jan. 6 siege that can be useful for preparing for the Jan. 20 inauguration of Joe Biden as president.

“If Capitol Police were involved, we need to know that because of the need for security in the coming week. That’s important,” he said. “We need all hands on deck moving forward. We can’t have somebody protecting on Inauguration Day that was not doing the job on the Jan. 6 event.”

Ryan noted that he encouraged law enforcement to share as much information to the public as can be shared safely without interfering with the ongoing investigation.

Deployment of National Guard resources likely will affect their role in vaccine distribution and other ancillary activities that Guard members are involved with – “food for thought about the ripple effect happening because of what happened in Washington,” he said.

Still, there should be sufficient personnel to meet their security functions, Ryan said. Guard members would be drawn first from the surrounding states then from to states further out such as Ohio or Kentucky.

“There’s adequate numbers to protect state capitals and other things as well as lend members to come to Washington, D.C.,” he said.

Media outlets, citing an FBI bulletin, have reported that protests are planned for the days leading up to and on Inauguration Day in the capitals of all 50 states.

While the Ohio National Guard is prepared, it has not yet received requests regarding the inauguration or the potential protests in the state capital, said Dan Tierney, spokesman for Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine.

“Governor DeWine is monitoring the situation and receives regular briefings from his public safety team,” Tierney said.

He deferred security-related questions to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

Pictured: Police hold off Trump supporters who tried to break through a police barrier, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

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