Officials Put Unusual Limits on D C National Guard Before Riot, Commander Says nytimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nytimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The Acting Defense Secretary ultimately approved the forces at 5:08 pm
Former Capitol Police chief Sund made frantic call at 1:49 pm
He is testifying at a Senate Homeland Security and Rules Committee hearing on the January 6th Capitol riot
Army secretary withheld authority for quick reaction force in advance
Walker said he found it unusual the Army Secretary wanted a concept of operation for the reaction force
Walker said dispatching 155 Guard forces sooner could have made a difference
Guardsmen waited on buses at D.C. Armory while authorization came
Army Secretary s approval required to move three Guardsmen to a traffic stop one block away
DC National Guard commander says ‘unusual’ Pentagon restrictions slowed response to Capitol riot
The commanding general of the Washington, DC, National Guard testified Wednesday that he did not need authorization from Pentagon leaders before deploying troops in response to protests at the nation’s capital last summer but that changed in the days before the January 6 insurrection.
The shift in guidance, according to DC National Guard Commanding Maj. Gen. William Walker, was communicated in a January 5 memo that stated he was required to seek approval from the Secretary of the Army and Defense before preparing troops to respond to a civil disturbance.
Senior Pentagon leaders approved deploying the National Guard to the U.S. Capitol more than three hours after the Capitol Police chief placed a "frantic" call to the head of the D.C. National Guard asking for help on Jan. 6, the D.C. Guard chief will testify Wednesday."At 1:49pm I received a frantic call from then Chief of U.S. Capitol Police, Steven Sund, where he informed me that the security perimeter at the Capitol had been breached by.