Black Catholic general to lead security probe of Capitol terrorist attack
A retired 3-star general is joining the team of officials looking into the security response following the January 6th coup attempt in DC.
LTG Russel L. Honoré, retired since 2008, also helped lead the government’s response to Hurricane Katrina.
Then as now, the issue at hand involves figuring out how exactly the response to a major catastrophe went so wrong despite the available resources, and who or what might have contributed to the confusion.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi announced on the 15th that Honoré will be helping the government find out.
Raised in the Catholic faith in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana (a longtime Josephite stronghold), Honoré is known as “The Ragin’ Cajun”—a reference to his Creole roots but also to his fiery demeanor, public knowledge since his well-publicized leadership role in 2005.
The response to Katrina, infamously bungled by FEMA and Michael Brown in its initial stages, was largely handled by Honoré after he was brought in to take over after days of deadly chaos and federal inaction.
It appears that the government is again looking to Honoré for command and cohesion, bringing in the Louisiana lieutenant in advance of the Biden inauguration, which his review will also help secure.
News of his appointment comes alongside reports that a few Republican lawmakers gave tours of the capitol building the day before the attack.
Popular extremist YouTuber (and soon-to-be Catholic) Ali Alexander, who identifies as a Black American, has claimed that three congressmen in particular helped him plan the attack itself.
Nate Tinner-Williams is co-founder of Black Catholic Messenger, a priesthood applicant with the Josephites, and a ThM student with the Institute for Black Catholic Studies at Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA).