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Missouri native tells of Capitol attack, four hours of “battle,” burns not healed

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Captain Carneysha Mendoza (pool photo)

A Missouri native described to U.S. Senators her firsthand view of the police struggle with attackers at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Festus native, Captain Carneysha Mendoza, has served on the US Capitol Police for about 19 years. The Army veteran recognized some of the weapons used by the terrorists — and used on her.

She described smelling military-grade CS gas used on police and having burns on her face that have not yet healed:

Mendoza is a field commander in the special operations division including response to significant security incidents. She testified about the struggle of police while she assumed command and they waited for relief:

While the Metropolitan Police force sent back-ups, additional relief did not come for hours. Her former bosses testified that they were not prepared for battle, just protests.

Mendoza said, “I am proud of the officers I worked with on January 6. They fought extremely hard. I know that some said the battle lasted three hours, but according to my Fitbit, I was in the exercise zone for four hours and nine minutes.”

Blunt and Klobuchar lead the Senate Rules Committee

Senator Roy Blunt is the ranking member on the Senate panel investigating the police response to January 6. In his opening statement, Blunt emphasized the scope of the trauma:

“I offer my deepest thanks to the officers of the United States Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department, and their families who may have been watching this attack on the Capitol in real time. Unfortunately, the failures of that day were of the most serious kind: the death of USCP Officer Brian Sicknick. The subsequent suicides of USCP Officer Howard Liebengood and MPD Officer Jeffrey Smith were just the first and most tragic results from the psychological trauma that untold numbers of people experienced.”

The Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs and Senate Rules committees are looking into failures of police and preparedness – while highlighting the heroism of officers who endured hand-to-hand combat to protect members of Congress.

Former US Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund, Former House Sergeant at Arms Paul Irving, Former Senate Sergeant at Arms Michael Stenger and Acting U..S Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Contee answered questions about intelligence gathering and dissemination, and preparation that Blunt said “led ultimately to the failure of leadership the Capitol experienced nearly seven weeks ago.”

Sund, in his opening statement, said the attackers were prepared for war:

“I have been in policing for almost 30 years, and in that time I have been involved in a number of critical incidents, and responded to a number of horrific scenes. The events on January 6, 2021, constituted the worst attack on law enforcement that I have seen in my entire career. This was an attack that we are learning was pre-planned, and involved participants from a number of states who came well equipped, coordinated, and prepared to carry out a violent insurrection at the United States Capitol.”

The leaders in charge of Capitol security pointed fingers at each other at times in the hearing, but all agree that intelligence underestimated the threat — and the planning — that led to the attack.

Gov. Parson says St. Louis region partners not sharing vaccine as agreed, accuses local health leaders of “spreading fear and panic” (VIDEO)

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Governor Mike Parson began today’s press conference by taking issue with how the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force is characterizing the state’s vaccine distribution.  Dr. Alex Garza, incident commander of the task force. Garza told the St. Louis Post Dispatch, “We don’t believe that we’re being allocated the amount that we need in order to address the needs of our region given its population size.” This spurred other counties to ask the governor for clarification.

Parson responded that the St. Louis region gets 37 percent of the doses allocated to the state through a rapid-distribution partnership with selected hospitals in each region of the state.  However, Parson says that the St. Louis County Health Department has not gotten its share of the doses it was supposed to have gotten from the partnership.

Currently, there are approximately 50,000 first and second doses in the St. Louis area that have not been reported as administered,” Parson said. “There should be no problem with this vaccine being shared with other agencies which was the agreement that was made.”

The task force stands by its count, saying the region get about 20,000 doses.

“We are confident in the way we estimate the number of doses received by Region C, and our goal has always been to ensure fair and equitable distribution of vaccine with all of our partners,” Garza said in a press statement.

In the briefing, Parson also acknowledged that the state is struggling with vaccine supply.

“Every vaccinator in every region is requesting more vaccine than they are currently receiving because quite simply the demands for the vaccine still far outweigh the supply and we are doing everything we can to get the vaccines out as quickly as the supply will allow,” Parson said,

Watch the entire briefing:

NWS: Bitter cold and piercing wind chills into this weekend

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According to the National Weather Service out of Kansas City, “Flurries hang around today and early Thurs with some heavier bands possible in Central MO along I-70. Slick roads and sidewalks are anticipated. Bitter cold and piercing wind chills are expected this weekend … temps struggle to reach 10F.”

 

East and southeast Missouri will also see icy conditions, according to the NWS in St. Louis:

Weather conditions slick and windy all day through most of Missouri

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Courtesy NWS KC/Pleasant Hill

The National Weather Service out of Kansas City warns conditions are going to be rather slick through the entire day today. Most areas will see snow or perhaps some periods of freezing drizzle

Expect driving difficulties in the morning and the evening.

There will be freezing drizzle South of the Missouri River through the morning. Roadways and sidewalks, especially bridges and overpasses, are expected to be slick. This will last through the early evening in southwest Missouri.

Temperatures will be in the teens to single digits this week mid-Missouri and north.

According to the NWS in St. Louis, “an active weather pattern will bring another storm to the region Wed-Wed Night. Indications are the storm will produce both accumulating snow & accumulating ice.”

The American Red Cross is urging Missourians to assemble an emergency preparedness kit, with dangerous temperatures and life-threatening wind chills over the next week.

In addition to a kit, they’re urging you to protect your pipes from freezing. The Red Cross recommends opening kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing. They also suggest letting cold water drip from the faucet served by exposed pipes. That helps prevent pipes from freezing. It’s also important to keep the faucet open.

Federal gun law nullification clears Missouri House, same bill moves through Senate (AUDIO)

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A gun law bill that passed the Missouri House Wednesday would punish a police department through civil lawsuits if an officer enforces federal gun laws. A twin of the bill is also moving through the Senate.  The “Second Amendment Preservation Act,” sponsored by Rep. Jered Taylor, R-Nixa, is aimed at disregarding any federal firearms actions by the Biden administration.
Someone could cue, asserting a violation of their right to bear arms, starting at $50,000. Opponents, including some police agencies, say that amounts to defunding the police.

Representative Peter Meredith, D-St. Louis City debated that with the bill’s sponsor:

State Rep. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, R-Arnold, explained the spirit of the bill:

O’Fallon Republican Tony Lovasco argued that individual officers should be the ones sued:

State Rep. Ashley Bland Manlove, D-Kansas City, is a former member of the National Guard and a “fan of firearms,” but whose cousin was shot to death last year.

The final vote count was 103-43.

Congressman Cleaver says USDA Offices are staying put in KC, rumors were not true

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Kansas City area Congressman Emanuel Cleaver says the Biden Administration will not move the newly-relocated USDA offices from Kansas City back to the nation’s capital.

Cleaver carries political clout with President Biden, who came to Kansas City at the congressman’s request during the campaign.

Missouri Farm Bureau leaders mentioned this as a concern immediately after the 2020 presidential election.

“I represent that area, I am the senior Democrat in Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Arkansas. And I can tell you that there is no way that those agricultural offices will be moved against my political will. That’s just not going to happen,” Cleaver told Missourinet.’

“I heard the rumors over and over again and have not spoken about it publicly. I can tell you those offices are not going anywhere.

USDA’s Economic Research Service and National Institutes of Food & Agriculture moved to Kansas City last year. Though Cleaver supported the move, he predicted the USDA may lose some top employees — and they did —as 2/3 of the research and funding agencies’ staff in Washington DC quit.

Cleaver says any move back to Washington D.C. would be too expensive.

 

Blunt says Capitol staging of inaugural important message to world; to Hawley critics, time to ‘move on’

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Senator Roy Blunt says plans for Joe Biden’s presidential inauguration will not be derailed or changed after Wednesday’s deadly breach of Capitol security.

From left: U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, President Donald Trump, Missouri U.S. Senator Roy Blunt

The senior Missouri Senator is overseeing the event on the behalf of Congress. He says he spent a lot of time Thursday with Capitol police and reviewing the FBI intelligence reports of the attack on the Capitol. The smaller inaugural crowd restricted to 3,000 because of COVID-19 concerns will be easier to handle than the typical 200,000 attendees, he said.

Blunt said “It’s the right decision” to hold the Biden inauguration at the same place that President Trump was sworn in four years ago.

“We will be outside and just as it was important to return to the Capitol as quickly as we could to the Senate and House Chambers, it is also important to send that message around the world that while we are dealing with a pandemic that our Democracy moves forward,” he told Missourinet.

Blunt, who serves on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said “the storming of the Capitol by these rioters was outrageous and very harmful to our position around the world. I’m sure our adversaries loved seeing those films and pictures all over the world. It was a big day for them and a poor day for us.”

Blunt stands by his statement that the president was part of creating the dangerous environment Wednesday.

President Trump has announced he will not go to Biden’s inauguration and, though Blunt said he had been talking with the president’s staff about Trump’s attendance, Blunt said he “does not have any argument with (Trump’s) decision on this.”

Vice-President Mike Pence is expected to be there and, as President-elect Biden did Thursday, Blunt said Pence’s presence will be welcome.

Blunt told Missourinet the public will see a different scene on January 20 than they did on January 6.

“We’ll have the kind of secure operation on the ground and in the air that we had four years ago and I think everybody will have a greater appreciation for how challenging it is to get this done this year than they may have ever had before,” Blunt said.

Blunt is chairman of the Senate Rules Committee and, every four years, the chairman of that panel leads the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies.

“I’d really like it if we were inaugurating the person that I voted for, but I’m going to respect the fact that the Constitution and the process work,” he said during a telephone interview Friday.

Missourinet asked: “Given what you’ve seen from President Trump now, would you vote for him again?”

Blunt replied: “I don’t have to make that decision, do I? I certainly voted for him in November. The foreign policy successes, the regulatory successes, the economic successes, what is obvious to me will be the incredible success in developing the vaccine…with the president’s leadership we got it done in nine months.”

“This is not a decision that needs to be made,” Blunt continued. “It’s kind of like spending time on Ted Cruz’s plan. It’s not anything I have to deal with and believe me I have plenty of problems to deal with that are real and immediate, rather than speculating on things that aren’t going to happen.”

Fellow Missouri Senator Josh Hawley’s objection to Electoral College results from Pennsylvania has prompted some Democrats in the Senate to call for Hawley to resign and a few Republicans have publicly rebuked Hawley, Blunt is not among them. Blunt told the Missourinet he and Hawley “have a great relationship.”

“He has a job to do just like I do and I’m sure he’ll do it. He’s very smart and I’m pleased to get the chance to work with him. We did not agree on this issue the day he announced this challenge, and Ted Cruz’s challenge,” Blunt said. “I think it’s time to move on and remember, half of the Republicans in the House of Representatives had a similar position.”

Blunt said any movement toward impeaching President Trump would also be as fruitless as Sen. Cruz’s plan to create a commission to review all of the state ballots.

“Frankly, I think he (Trump) has already paid a big price for keeping on the (election) topic and not allowing us to talk about many accomplishments he’s had as president,” Blunt said.

 

Missouri Members of Congress respond to pro-Trump rioters invading Capitol

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As a joint session of Congress began the process of approving the electoral college results of the 2020 presidential election, pro-Trump rioters pushed past U.S. Capitol Police and entered the House chambers and Senate offices. Vice-president Mike Pence and members of Congress evacuated to “safe quarters” inside the office buildings. Then they began tweeting their responses. Missourinet got the following messages and tweets from the delegation.

Sen. Roy Blunt was one of the first to denounce the mob’s actions: “The events unfolding at the Capitol are shameful. There is no justification for violence and destruction. It has to stop now. This is not who we are as a nation. Thank you to the Capitol Police who are keeping us safe.”

Senator Josh Hawley, who had been leading an electoral college protest effort inside the Senate Chamber, sent this statement after the police reinforcements had arrived: “Thank you to the brave law enforcement officials who have put their lives on the line. The violence must end, those who attacked police and broke the law must be prosecuted, and Congress must get back to work and finish its job.”

Veteran Democrat Rep. Emanual Cleaver of Kansas City spoke with TV partner KMBC. Mike Mahoney shared: KC Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, in KMBC interview, says protesters are “all over the Capitol complex” Cleaver is locked down in his House office, not inside the Capitol. Says this is making the US look like a 2-bit country in world’s eyes

Rep. Cori Bush, newly sworn-in Democrat from St. Louis tweeted: “I’m in the Capitol. I’m safe, and my team and I are sheltering in place. The President of the United States has incited a riot that has now stormed the Capitol. There are rioters roaming the halls of the Capitol. I saw them with my own eyes. Our country deserves better.
She later announced: “I believe the Republican members of Congress who have incited this domestic terror attack through their attempts to overturn the election must face consequences. They have broken their sacred Oath of Office. I will be introducing a resolution calling for their expulsion.”

Rep. Ann Wagner, R-MO2, tweeted: “The violent riots we are seeing right now are despicable and have no place in our nation. The President needs to take decisive action immediately to stop this seditious behavior.”

Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer tweeted: “Peaceful protesting is acceptable. Violence, lawlessness and attacks on law enforcement are absolutely not.”

Rep. Sam Graves of northwest Missouri: “Peaceful protests are protected by the Constitution, but this is not how we settle disputes in America. The violence and lawlessness happening at the United States Capitol right now is completely unacceptable and un-American. This is not what democracy looks like.”

Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-MO4, tweeted: “The violent rioting on Capitol Hill is appalling and must stop! These so-called protesters have exhibited behavior one would expect to witness during a third world coup. This disgusting behavior is not representative of what we stand for as a country. This is thuggery and violators must be punished to the fullest extent allowed under federal law. We cannot heal our divides as a nation if this lawlessness persists.”

Rep. Jason Smith, R- MO8, tweeted: “I condemn this violence and give my complete support to the brave Capitol Police officers working to restore order. Pray for America. It was Oscar Wilde who said ‘When Liberty comes with hands dabbled in blood, it is hard to shake hands with her. The current acts of violence can never be accepted under any circumstances no matter your political affiliation.”

Rep. Billy Long, R-MO7, issued this press release: “What happened at the Capitol Building is disgraceful and completely unacceptable and I condemn the actions of those involved,” said Rep. Long. “I commend the brave men and women of the United States Capitol Police, the Washington Metropolitan Police and the officers of the various federal agencies that assisted in restoring order in the Capitol and keeping Members of Congress and their staff safe. I was at the Capitol only briefly this morning, long before any of this started, and did not witness anything unfold in person. My staff and I are safe, and I am urging people to leave the Capitol complex calmly and peacefully and to comply with the Mayor’s 6:00 pm curfew.”

Luetkemeyer, Graves, Hartzler, and Long have all planned to protest the election of Joe Biden today, saying they believe there was voting fraud in key states that Biden won.

Missouri Veterans Commission chairman resigns, taking issue with Gov. Parson statement

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Missouri Veterans Commission chairman Tim Noonan resigned his volunteer post late Thursday, saying “Fundamental values were crossed,” by Governor Mike Parson when he stated “I’m not going to worry about everybody’s personal lives that sit on a commission or chairman,” in response to a question about an investigation into a deadly COVID-19 outbreak at Missouri’s Veterans homes. To date, the commission reports that 158 veterans in their facilities have died of coronavirus since September.

During a Capitol press conference Wednesday, Missourinet asked Parson to elaborate on what changes he wants after an independent report listed causes of COVID-19 spread inside the state’s seven long-term care facilities that serve veterans.

Parson called for an independent investigation into COVID-19 deaths in state veterans homes (file photo courtesy governor’s office)

“I’ve got to be careful with that,” he said. “I’m going to do everything within my power to make sure they (veterans) are taken care of. If people didn’t do their job is why I called for the investigation to expose that, if that is the case. The veterans will be a priority. I’m not going to worry about everybody’s personal lives that sit on a commission or a chairman. I’m just going to absolutely worry about the veterans and that is my whole focus.”

Noonan told Missourinet that his resignation had nothing to do with the release of the full investigation report that same day, though he disagreed with publishing the 415-pages of details of the Armstrong Teasdale review.  Read related story.

Noonan assumed the role of the only spokesman and advocate for MVC staff after the report’s summary was published, shielding veterans home employees and the agency’s director from the press and public comment. However, Noonan said the role of the commission overseeing the agency is often unclear.

Noonan has recently spoken out about having little or no say in money being appropriated from his agency to the Veterans Community Project, a non-profit serving homeless veterans, especially when revenue and staffing are down.

“The commission is independent and shouldn’t be batted around for political gain,” he texted after his resignation. “Hopeful someone will pick up the flag.”

Noonan served in the Marine Corps and is a former executive with Boeing. He was appointed to the post by Gov. Eric Greitens in 2017.

Missouri Veteran’s Commission releases detailed report on deadly COVID-19 outbreak in 7 veterans homes

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The oversight commission of the Missouri Veterans Commission released the remaining details of an investigation into a deadly COVID-19 outbreak in its seven nursing homes today. To date, 158 veterans have died since September.

FULL REPORT

The Missouri Attorney General directed Chairman Tim Noonan to release the report, against Noonan’s objections.  Noonan’s Letter to the attorney general argues that the detailed report was protected under attorney-client privilege.

State Senator Jill Schupp argued in public that the 415-page document should be released under the Sunshine Law. Noonan and other commissioners were concerned about the legal liability of staff, commissioners, and the agency itself.

“Are we creating a record that puts employees at risk, are we creating a potential roadmap for litigation against the state? These are all prudent business decisions that one makes when they have responsibility as the chair of a commission,” Noonan said in an interview with Missourinet just before the release of the report. Letters released by the Attorney General’s office to Missourinet show Noonan sought legal advice from the governor’s office as early as November 23.

He got a response from the attorney general yesterday: Attorney General’s opinion letter addressed the disclosure of information.

Noonan said the full report reveals there is “a lot of accountability and responsibility up and down the chain of command here,” including daily governance.

“The summary report was thorough, it was robust, it was fact-based and it was actionable. There was nothing inside the detailed report that stands in the way of driving the reforms and transformation that are already underway.

“There is no smoking gun in the report. It was systemic, it had issues to do with communication and hierarchy, it had to do with data analysis that was happening in the Missouri Veterans Commission but also happening in the “fusion cell” — data that was presented by the Veterans Commission to the fusion cell that was supposed to be analyzed and made into actionable intelligence, the fusion cell missed it along with the Veterans Commission.”

The “Fusion Cell,” according to the summary report, is the state’s collective response to the COVID-19 and “is meant to be a single point of information for all Missouri agencies.”  It also included the consultation of the McChrystal Group, outside advisors hired by the Missouri Foundation for Health.