WASHINGTON — After more than two and a half years, the true cost of the January 6 Capitol riot is coming into sharper focus.
The attack -- carried out by supporters of former President Donald Trump who were dissatisfied with the 2020 election results -- caused about $2.7 billion in estimated costs, according to an updated report from the Government Accountability Office.
This amount includes damage to the Capitol building and grounds, costs borne by the Capitol Police, the District of Columbia, and federal agencies, and estimated costs to address security needs and investigations.
"It's all staggering," said GAO Homeland Security and Justice Team Director Triana McNeil, in an interview Tuesday with 13 News Now.
The 122-page report -- the GAO's seventh and presumably final one on January 6 -- said federal agencies responsible for protecting the Capitol did not "fully process" or share critical information, including about militia groups arming themselves ahead of the insurrection.
McNeil said it was crucial to get to the facts.
"We've got to understand and diagnose what happened. And so, GAO did its part," she said.
Additionally, the report noted that 2,000 to 2,500 people entered the Capitol and the attack resulted in assaults on at least 174 police officers and the deaths of seven people.
"The event also cost lives. And I don't want the loss of life to be lost either," said McNeil.
The GAO made 10 recommendations to five agencies to improve how they review and share information about potential threats,
According to the Justice Department, in the 30 months since the attack, more than 1,069 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states, including more than 350 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.