TAMPA, Fla — For nearly three and a half hours, the nation was witness to riveting testimony from several of the law enforcement officers who were there the day of the Capitol Riot.
"It couldn't get much more important than this," Constitutional Law Professor Brendan Barry said.
Barry says the Capitol Riot hearing run by a House Select Committee should help uncover the layers of why and how the attack happened.
"I think it was a wake-up call for anybody who understands what happened on January 6 but is trying to downplay it. These officers, and I'm sure other witnesses, who appear in front of this committee are not going to let that happen," Barry said.
More than 500 people have been charged for their role in the attack on the U.S. Capitol. A map from George Washington University shows Florida houses the most cases with just over 60 people charged.
That's why Florida Agricultural Commissioner Nikki Fried vowed to suspend and revoke any licenses granted to anyone involved in the insurrection.
"I'm using my lawful authority to immediately suspend the licenses of 22 individuals involved in the storming of the U.S. Capitol," Fried announced in this video.
Plus the U.S. Capitol Police plan to open up a field office in Tampa.
The decision to establish field offices in Tampa and San Francisco, the agency said last week, is in part to allow for a regional approach in investigating threats made against members of Congress. California and Florida are where “the majority” of threats currently are originating, a spokesperson said.
While the USCP’s primary jurisdiction is within buildings and grounds of the United States Capitol Complex, they are also charged with protecting members of Congress throughout the entire United States and territories, and they have that authority to protect “in any area” of the country, according to 2 U.S. Code § 1966.
“Absolutely this is within the constitutional power of the federal government to create these field offices to ensure they can protect the members when they're completing their mission—their duties—representing their constituents whether in their home district or in Washington,” said Michael McDaniel, a constitutional law professor at the Western Michigan University Cooley Law School.
Despite Florida leading the nation in arrests, law experts agree anyone involved should be held accountable and the Capitol Riot hearing should help lay out the facts.
"I want to be very clear about this, regardless of your politics, what happened on January 6, is probably the worst thing that I can think of ever happening in Washington in terms of American government. It is the American public's responsibility to listen and to be informed by what they hear. They are more than entitled to form their own opinions about what they hear," Louis Virelli, Law Professor at Stetson University said.
- Officers who defended US Capitol on Jan 6 testify before Congress
- How are Florida's athletes doing at the Tokyo Olympics?
- U.S. gets silver after losing Simone Biles in team final
- CDC reverses course on indoor masks in parts of US where COVID is surging
- Eating fresh fish and seafood during red tide: Is it safe?
- A Frank Conversation: New podcast explores race, religion, politics and more
►Breaking news and weather alerts: Get the free 10 Tampa Bay app
►Stay In the Know! Sign up now for the Brightside Blend Newsletter