US House members to receive briefing on Capitol security, mitigation measures

Members of US House are set to receive closed-door briefings on Monday based on a report focused on enhancing security at the US Capitol to prevent another breach.  Retired Army Lieutenant General Russel Honore will give three separate briefings to members of both the Republican and Democratic parties, Bloomberg reported.

Honore's briefings will come in the aftermath of House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy issuing a statement against Honore, alleging that his review of the Capitol riots was politically biased. McCarthy also claimed that Honore was chosen by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to further her cause of "turning the Capitol into a fortress".

Last week, Pelosi claimed that she had received Honore's draft report undertaking a security review of the Capitol's security after the attack on January 6 undertaken by supporters of former US President Donald Trump.

"It's going to take more money to protect the capitol", Pelosi had said, while adding that it would still be safe for people to visit the complex without worrying about adverse events like the January 6 attack.

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On January 15, Pelosi had commissioned Honore to take charge of the review, and to imbibe a review of Capitol's security infrastructure, command and control, and inter-agency communication among many things. She referred to Honore as a "respected leader" who was experienced in dealing with crises.

Pelosi's calls for an independent review has found traction among both Democrats and Republicans, who have remained deeply divided in the aftermath of Trump's second impeachment.

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In his statement, McCarthy questioned Honore's "political bias" based on statements he had put out before his review, while especially referring to an accusation that Capitol Police officers were "complicit" in the attack.