Acting Capitol Police chief, House sergeant-at-arms to testify before House Appropriations Committee

Acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman and acting House Sergeant-at-Arms Timothy Blodgett will appear before the House Appropriations Committee on Thursday to testify about the security breakdown on Jan. 6 when rioters stormed the Capitol.

The committee launched its investigation into the attack the day after the riot, and the hearing is the first congressional appearance for each after stepping into their roles following the resignation of their predecessors.

Pittman, who became chief on Jan. 11, started her tenure with an apology to lawmakers.

“I am here to offer my sincerest apologies on behalf of the department,” Pittman testified during a closed briefing in January with members of the committee.

“On Jan. 6, in the face of a terrorist attack by tens of thousands of insurrectionists determined to stop the certification of Electoral College votes, the department failed to meet its own high standards as well as yours,” she said.

The Appropriations Committee will also hold a hearing Wednesday examining the physical damage to the Capitol in a session with the Architect of the Capitol Brett Blanton.

The House side hearings come as the Senate is also seeking a sit-down Tuesday with those responsible for security on the day of the riot.

Former Senate Sergeant-at-Arms and Doorkeeper Michael Stenger, former House Sergeant-at-Arms Paul Irving and former U.S. Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund, who all resigned in the wake of the attack, along with Robert Contee, chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, have been called to testify before a joint session with the Senate’s Rules and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committees.

-Updated 3:12 p.m.