Security Breakdown

This special report reconstructs the shocking events of January 6, 2021—a day that will be discussed and debated for years to come. In this meticulous timeline—a “first rough draft of history,” as Newsweek’s late owner Phil Graham used to describe journalism—national security expert William M. Arkin illuminates the series of intelligence and security failures that allowed insurrectionists to storm the U.S. Capitol. The full story of what unfolded that day won’t be finalized soon. But for those seeking to understand, this report is the place to start.

THE DEPARTMENTOF HOMELAND Security looked the other way. So did the Pentagon. The FBI collected reports of violence and criminal activity but took no action. The U.S. Capitol Police wrote a threat assessment that President Trump’s supporters were disappointed and desperate, that they might become violent. They were all monitoring social media. But only the District of Columbia government and police went on alert; no one else otherwise prepared. That’s because government and military officials were afraid.

To understand the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol, meticulously reconstructed what happened that day and interviewed dozens of government and military officials, most of whom requested anonymity in order to be candid. They almost