Senate Intelligence Chairman Mark Warner said it was “amazing” that 21 years after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, “the attack on the symbol of our democracy” came not from outside threats but from within the US. “I remember, as most Americans do, where they were on 9/11. I was in the middle of a political campaign, and suddenly, the differences with my opponent seemed very small in comparison, and our country came together. And in many ways, we defeated the terrorists because of the resilience of the American public because of our intelligence community and we’re safer, better prepared,” Warner told CBS’ “Face the Nation” anchor Margaret Brennan. “What’s amazing to me is here we are 20 years later, and the attack on the symbol of our democracy was not from terrorists, but from literal insurgents who attacked the Capitol on January 6,” he added. Warner said he felt the country is “stronger” and “the intelligence community has performed remarkably,” compared to 21 years ago. “I think the threat of terror has diminished,” he said. However, he added that he is concerned about insider threats. “But I’m concerned about some of the activity in this country where the election naysayers, the uprising that took place on January 6th, that’s something I hope we could see that kind of unity of spirit,” he said. On Sunday, Vice President Kamala Harris also addressed domestic threats. During an interview on NBC News Meet the Press, Harris, who once served on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said she wants lawmakers to view domestic threats as “Americans first” and not through a “partisan lens.”
