Acting Capitol Police chief declines to testify at Jan. 6 hearing

Acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman has declined to testify at a Tuesday hearing on the Jan. 6 insurrection, giving an excuse the top Republican on the House Oversight Committee deemed "pathetic."

Rep. James Comer said in a statement Pittman claimed "she must watch another hearing where the Capitol Police Inspector General is testifying in case she has to respond in some way to what’s said at that hearing."

The Kentucky Republican called it "pathetic" for Pittman not to testify and said she was declining to "avoid answering the hard questions."

Capitol Police Inspector General Michael Bolton is set to testify at the same time on Tuesday afternoon and will detail his latest report on security gaps and failures among front-line officer units to lawmakers on the House Administration Committee.

The Capitol Police said in a statement they believed Pittman had been a “last-minute addition” to the hearing and was not able to attend because of the scheduling conflict with the House Administration Committee’s hearing. She had “agreed to testify at another time,” the USCP said.

A Democratic committee aide said Oversight Chair Carolyn Maloney was “disappointed” Pittman would not be able to testify. But they echoed the USCP, saying the acting chief “had committed to testify before the Committee in the near future.”

Pittman's alleged refusal to testify is likely to draw the ire of members of Congress investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection as pressure mounts on the agency to reform. Pittman's tenure has come under increased scrutiny after two Senate committees released a report detailing security failures leading up to and during the attack — particularly in the intelligence division that Pittman had commanded at the time.

The Capitol Police's union called on Pittman to resign after the release of the report, calling on "those most responsible, including Acting Chief Pittman" to "step aside for the good of the department."

Tuesday's hearing, aimed at answering unanswered questions about the insurrection, will also include testimony from top officials involved in the law enforcement and military response on Jan. 6. FBI Director Christopher Wray, General Charles Flynn, and Lt. Gen. Walter Piatt are all set to testify.

Pittman had been listed as "invited" on Oversight Committee announcements about the hearing but had not formally committed to appearing before the committee.