The United States National Security Council (NSC) is the principal forum used by the president of the United States for consideration of national security,military,and foreign policy matters. Based in the White House,it is part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States,and composed of senior national security advisors and Cabinet officials.
The director of national intelligence (DNI) is a senior,cabinet-level United States government official,required by the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 to serve as executive head of the United States Intelligence Community (IC) and to direct and oversee the National Intelligence Program (NIP). All IC agencies report directly to the DNI. The DNI also serves,upon invitation,as an advisor to the president of the United States,the National Security Council and the Homeland Security Council on all intelligence matters. The DNI,supported by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI),produces the President's Daily Brief (PDB),a top-secret document including intelligence from all IC agencies,handed each morning to the president of the United States.
Bennie Gordon Thompson is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Mississippi's 2nd congressional district since 1993. A member of the Democratic Party,Thompson served as the chair of the Committee on Homeland Security from 2019 to 2023 and from 2007 to 2011. He was both the first Democrat and the first African American to chair the committee. He is the dean of Mississippi's congressional delegation.
The United States Capitol Police (USCP) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States with nationwide jurisdiction charged with protecting the United States Congress within the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its territories. It answers to the Capitol Police Board and is the only full-service federal law enforcement agency appointed by the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States.
The sergeant at arms and doorkeeper of the United States Senate is the protocol officer,executive officer,and highest-ranking federal law enforcement officer of the Senate of the United States. The office of the sergeant at arms of the Senate currently has just short of 1,000 full time staff.
Jennifer McLaughlin Safavian is an American lawyer,trade association executive,and former Congressional committee staff member. She is currently the president and CEO of Autos Drive America,a trade association representing the U.S. operations of international auto manufacturers doing business in the United States.
The sergeant at arms of the United States House of Representatives is an officer of the House with law enforcement,protocol,and administrative responsibilities. The sergeant at arms is elected at the beginning of each Congress by the membership of the House.
Terrance William Gainer is a former law enforcement officer and was the 38th Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate and served in that position from January 4,2007 to May 2,2014.
Dan Gregory Blair currently serves as an independent senior consultant to the U.S. Agency for Global Media. Formerly,Blair served in senior positions in the nonprofit sector. He served as a senior counselor examining and recommending reforms on the presidential appointments process for the Center on Presidential Transition. He also served as Fellow and Senior Counselor at the Bipartisan Policy Center and led a task force of government and private sector management experts charged with examining government oversight issues. He also advises private sector clients on a broad array of government management and postal issues.
Caryn Wagner was the Department of Homeland Security’s Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Intelligence and Analysis from February 11,2010,to December 21,2012. As such,she was DHS's Chief Intelligence Officer (CINT),in charge of the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis with responsibilities over the DHS component intelligence services. She was the first woman to serve in this position,after extensive experience in the U.S. Intelligence Community and on Capitol Hill.
Paul Douglas Irving is an American former law enforcement officer who served as the Sergeant at Arms of the United States House of Representatives from January 17,2012,until January 7,2021,succeeding Wilson Livingood in that post. He resigned due to his inability to fulfill his duty during the 2021 United States Capitol attack.
Walter E. Piatt is a United States Army lieutenant general who currently serves as the 57th Director of the Army Staff. He enlisted in the army in 1979 and served four years as an infantryman. After graduating from Lock Haven University,he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1987. Prior to assuming his current position Piatt was the Commanding General,10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum. His other assignments as a general officer include serving as the 52nd Chief of Infantry;Deputy Commanding General-Support,10th Mountain Division;Commander,Joint Multinational Training Command;Deputy Commanding General,United States Army Europe;and director of Operations/director,Rapid Equipment Fielding,Army Rapid Capabilities Office.
Steven A. Sund is a retired American police officer who served as the tenth chief of the United States Capitol Police from 2019 to 2021. Sund was chief during the storming of the U.S. Capitol in January 2021,after which he resigned.
Michael Conrad Stenger was an American law enforcement officer who served as the 41st Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate from April 16,2018,to January 7,2021.
In the aftermath of the January 6 United States Capitol attack,after drawing widespread condemnation from the U.S. Congress,members of his administration,and the media,45th U.S. President Donald Trump released a video-taped statement on January 7 to stop the resignations of his staff and the threats of impeachment or removal from office. In the statement,he condemned the violence at the U.S. Capitol,saying that "a new administration will be inaugurated",which was widely seen as a concession,and his "focus now turns to ensuring a smooth,orderly,and seamless transition of power" to the Joe Biden administration. Vanity Fair reported that Trump was at least partially convinced to make the statement by U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC),who told Trump a sufficient number of Senate Republicans would support removing him from office unless he conceded. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany had attempted to distance the administration from the rioters' behavior in a televised statement earlier in the day. On January 9,The New York Times reported that Trump had told White House aides he regretted committing to an orderly transition of power and would never resign from office. In a March 25 interview on Fox News,Trump defended the Capitol attackers,saying they were patriots who posed "zero threat",and he criticized law enforcement for "persecuting" the rioters.
The January 6 United States Capitol attack was followed by political,legal,and social repercussions. The second impeachment of Donald Trump,who was charged for incitement of insurrection for his conduct,occurred on January 13. At the same time,Cabinet officials were pressured to invoke the 25th Amendment for removing Trump from office. Trump was subsequently acquitted in the Senate trial,which was held in February after Trump had already left office. The result was a 57–43 vote in favor of conviction,with every Democrat and seven Republicans voting to convict,but two-thirds of the Senate are required to convict. Many in the Trump administration resigned. Several large companies announced they were halting all political donations,and others have suspended funding the lawmakers who had objected to certifying Electoral College results. A bill was introduced to form an independent commission,similar to the 9/11 Commission,to investigate the events surrounding the attack;it passed the House but was blocked by Republicans in the Senate. The House then approved a House "select committee" to investigate the attack. In June,the Senate released the results of its own investigation of the riot. The event led to strong criticism of law enforcement agencies. Leading figures within the United States Capitol Police resigned.
Eugene Goodman is an American United States Capitol Police officer who diverted invading rioters from the United States Senate chamber during the January 6 Capitol attack. Goodman is a U.S. Army veteran who served during the Iraq War. He served as the Acting Deputy Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate from January 20,2021,to March 2,2021.
Karen H. Gibson is the Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate and a retired military intelligence officer.
Law enforcement mounted a response to the January 6 United States Capitol attack,initially failing to maintain security perimeters and protect parts of the building from being breached and occupied,but succeeding at protecting members of Congress,and subsequently,as reinforcements arrived,to secure the breached Capitol.
