US Capitol police chief resigns
A spokeswoman for the United States Capitol Police has confirmed to ABC News that Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund is resigning, effective Jan. 16.
The resignation comes after rioters seized the Capitol building on Wednesday and following House Speaker Nancy Pelosi calling for him to step down due to the botched response.
Sund does not mention the Capitol riot in his three-sentence resignation letter. "It has been a pleasure and true honor to serve the United States Capitol Police Board and the Congressional community alongside and the women and men of the United States Capitol Police," he wrote.
The Capitol Police Union had released a statement saying they were "frustrated and demoralized by the lack of leadership" and called for the chief and his deputy to resign.
"We have several protesters dead, multiple officers injured and the symbol of our Democracy, the U.S. Capitol, desecrated. This never should have happened," Capitol Police Union Chairman Gus Papathanasiou said in a statement.
"This lack of planning led to the greatest breach of the U.S. Capitol since the War of 1812," he added. This is a failure of leadership at the very top."
-ABC News' Mariam Khan, Benjamin Siegel and Luke Barr