Retired General Russel Honoré accepts mission to secure United States Capitol

Retired Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré, the face of recovery in Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina, said Friday he will accept a mission to review Capitol Hill security after a violent demonstration on Jan. 6 in which rioters stormed the Capitol and five people died.

Honore', who lives in his native Pointe Coupee Parish, was tapped by Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for the job.

"I'm going to take on the mission," Honoré said Friday in an interview with USA Today Network. "We're working up a mission statement now and a scope of work.

"My focus is going to be securing the Capitol in the future to make sure the same events don't ever happen again," said Honoré, 74, who retired from the military in 2008. "We're better than that."

Pelosi announced her appointment of Honoré on Friday.

"To protect our Democracy, we must now subject the security of the U.S. Capitol Complex to rigorous scrutiny," Pelosi said in a statement. "To that end, I have asked Lt. General Russel Honoré (Ret.), a respected leader with experience dealing with crises, to lead an immediate review of the Capitol's security infrastructure, interagency processes and procedures, and command and control."

She said Honoré "has strong experience with the security of the National Capital Region" and cited his work after Hurricane Katrina where members of Congress "saw firsthand his strategic and patriotic leadership."

Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.