VOA常速英语:国会暴乱后的首次听证会一片混乱

This is VOA news. Via remote, I'm Marissa Melton. Former U.S. officials responsibility for securing the U.S. Capitol building testified Tuesday before Congress for the first time since the January 6 attack on the complex. They blamed intelligence for the failure to prevent what they characterized as an unexpected but planned and coordinated "insurrection" by supporters of former President Donald Trump. All three officials - former U.S. Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund, former House Sergeant at Arms Paul Irving and former Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Michael Stenger - resigned immediately after the attack, which left five people dead, including a Capitol Police officer. At least 140 police officers injured in the melee. The officials testified that while they had prepared for a large protest at the Capitol building and the possibility of violence, they had received no intelligence indicating that the pro-Trump crowd would attempt a breach and violent takeover of the seat of Congress. Sund blamed the House and Senate sergeants-at-arms for failing to act swiftly to approve his request for National Guard help before and during the riots. He said two days before the attack, Irving, the House Sergeant-at-Arms, expressed concern about the, quote, "optics" of having National Guard troops around the Capitol. Irving denied he was concerned about the visuals and said they reached a collective judgment that the intelligence did not warrant having troops at the Capitol. The three former officials said they did not receive an FBI report distributed on January 5 that warned law enforcement agencies about social media calls for violence the next day.

The U.S. Senate confirmed President Joe Biden's pick for ambassador to the United Nations on Tuesday after objections from some Republicans delayed her appointment. Linda Thomas-Greenfield was confirmed on a vote of 78 in favor to 20 against. You're listening to VOA news.