Assistant Chief Sean Gallagher has been promoted to lead the U.S. Capitol Police on an interim basis, replacing Thomas Manger, who retired in May after nearly four years on the job.
Some see Gallagher as a strong contender for the permanent position, Politico reported Monday. He has held a number of roles since joining the department in 2001, and he oversaw uniformed operations as one of three assistant chiefs.
He previously served as assistant commander of the Investigations Division and as assistant commander of the Dignitary Protection Division and the Capitol Division.
The Capitol Police are tasked with safeguarding Congress, members of Congress, employees, visitors, and congressional buildings and grounds in Washington.
The job of choosing Manger’s permanent replacement rests with the Capitol Police Board, which includes House Sergeant-at-Arms William McFarland, Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Jennifer Hemingway, and Thomas Austin, the architect of the Capitol. All three came to their positions under Manger, and this will be their first time working together to find a replacement.
Top congressional leaders choose the board members and are expected to have some influence in the pick, Politico reported.
“If they pick someone from the inside, they’re going to know what our mission is,” Manger said before leaving the department, according to Politico. “They’ll have that — that’s good. If they pick somebody from the outside, they’re going to have to learn about our mission, the uniqueness of it, but the structure of oversight as well, and there is a learning curve there.”
After the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, a whistleblower accused Gallagher and Assistant Chief Yogananda Pittman — who was named acting chief two days afterward when Chief Steven Sund resigned — of mishandling intelligence and failing to respond properly to the events as they unfolded, according to Newsweek.
It was reported that the FBI had intelligence on a potential incident, but in a closed meeting in the days after the disturbance, Gallagher told lawmakers he had never seen such information.
Manger became the chief in July 2021 as it made changes in the wake of Jan. 6.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.
