Officials in Hawaii and beyond are looking for answers after a false missile notification sent most of its 1.4 million residents into a panic this weekend.
Rep. Colleen Hanabusa (D-HI) told Cheddar that many constituents assumed that the missile was coming from North Korea. If that were the case, it would’ve only taken 20 minutes before it hit Hawaiian land.
“But we took 38 minutes to withdraw this, and not everyone got notice, which is part of the problem,” she said. “What I’m hearing more and more is were we really prepared? Why wasn’t someone watching the screen? Why wasn’t it retracted?”
FCC chairman Ajit Pai has opened on investigation into the incident, saying the state didn’t have “reasonable safeguards” in place to stop the false alert from being sent.
The ominous alert, which didn’t reach all Hawaiians, encouraged residents to seek shelter from an inbound ballistic missile, but gave no specifics. Hanabusa says that early Saturday was "really pandemonium."
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/rep-colleen-hanabusa-d-hi-wonders-if-her-state-was-prepared-for-an-attack).
Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said the false alarm "may have been a bogus call" but that law enforcement agencies are ready to stop any attempt to disrupt the court case of former President Donald Trump, who was indicted Tuesday on charges of trying to overthrow the 2020 election.
The federal judge assigned to the election fraud case against former President Donald Trump has stood out as one of the toughest punishers of rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attack fueled by Trump's baseless claims of a stolen election. She has also ruled against him before.
