FBI Director Wray to testify before Congress on deadly Capitol assault

[March 02, 2021]  By Sarah N. Lynch

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - FBI Director Chris Wray will testify to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday about the investigation of the deadly attack on the Capitol by Donald Trump's supporters and the bureau's efforts to stop right-wing extremist violence.

The hearing will mark Wray's first testimony before Congress since the Jan. 6 attack, a failed bid to block Congress from certifying President Joe Biden's election victory in November.

The Justice Department has charged more than 250 people on criminal counts ranging from conspiracy to attacking police and obstructing Congress. The rioting led to five deaths.

At least 18 people associated with the far-right Proud Boys have been charged and nine people tied to the anti-government militia known as the Oath Keepers are facing charges they conspired as far back as November to storm the Capitol to prevent Biden from becoming president.

The FBI has not yet arrested any suspects in the death of Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, or for pipe bombs that were discovered outside the headquarters of both the Republican and Democratic national committees.

FBI Director Christopher Wray, Christopher Miller, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, and Kenneth Cuccinelli, senior official performing the duties of the deputy secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, testify during the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on "Threats to the Homeland", on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., September 24, 2020. Tom Williams/Pool via REUTERS

The FBI has obtained a video that shows a suspect spraying bear spray on police officers, including Sicknick, according to a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation.

The suspect has not yet been identified by name, and it is still not clear if the bear spray contributed to Sicknick's death.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin said he spoke directly with Wray on how the bureau is allocating resources to the investigation, and said that for far too long, the federal government has "turned a blind eye" to the threats of domestic terrorism by white supremacists.

(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Scott Malone and Grant McCool)

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