A previously undisclosed Pentagon document reportedly sheds light on the timeline of federal government leaders’ responses to the day of the January 6 Capitol riots, including a call from the then vice president Mike Pence
Michael (Mike) Richard PenceThe Hill’s Morning Report – Biden: Let’s Deal On Infrastructure, Taxes Overnight Energy: EPA Promises New Focus on Environmental Justice | Republicans Investigate EPA Resignation of Trump-Appointed Science Advisers | Biden Administration Asks Court To Throw Away Child Climate Case Pence Autobiography Coming From Simon & Schuster MORE hours before order was actually restored.
The document, prepared for internal use by the Pentagon and obtained by The Associated Press, provides insight into the degree of chaos and panic between a handful of senior White House aides, Congressional leaders, and the Vice President, all of whom were tasked with managing responses to the Mafia attack President Trump
Donald Trump: Romney Scraps End of Filibuster, Expansion of SCOTUS McConnell, GOP Condemns Biden’s Executive Command Over SCOTUS US Raises Concerns About Iran’s Seriousness in Nuclear Talks MOREis doing nothing.
According to the AP, the timeline shows that shortly after 4 p.m., two hours after rioters entered the Capitol and continued to roam the building, Pence made a phone call from a secure room to then-acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller.
The document states that Pence told Miller the Capitol was not safe and demanded a deadline from the military leaders to restore order.
Information obtained by the AP indicated that in a Jan. 3 cabinet meeting, Trump approved the activation of the Washington, DC, National Guard and told Miller to take necessary action at the Stop the Steal rally events.
However, the Guard’s role was limited to traffic sections and checkpoints around DC, with the Trump administration and Pentagon officials reluctant to show a heavy military presence after criticizing responses to civil unrest in the wake of George’s assassination. Floyd by the police.
On January 6, as rioters began to approach the Capitol, then Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund called Major General William Walker, Commanding General of the DC National Guard, for help.
When the rioters later entered the building, Sund Walker called again and asked for at least 200 Guard members “and to send more if they are available.”
Shortly after 3 pm, Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthyAlarming threat leads to early departure, underscoring security fear Five takeaways from dramatic Capitol security hearing DC Guard chief approves ‘optics’ delayed deployment during Capitol riot MORE gave “verbal approval” to the activation of 1,100 National Guard troops in support of the DC police.
Minutes later, then Speaker Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Pelosi The Growing Threat of the Chinese Lawsuit Pelosi Was Planning to Retire Until Trump Won Elections: Biden Report: ‘Prince Philip Loved Devoting Himself to the People of the UK’ MORE (D-Calif.) And leader of the majority of the house Charles Schumer
Chuck Schumer First Southern State Legalizes Marijuana – What It Means Nationally HR 1 / S 1: Democrats Defend Majorities, Not Fair Elections McCarthy asks FBI and CIA for briefing after two men drop off terror watch list at the border MORE (DN.Y.) called the Pentagon for additional support, they were told additional Guard members had been approved.
However, the AP noted that the Guard had only prepared troops for traffic duties, and law enforcement officers spent about 90 minutes coordinating response plans and handing over the necessary equipment to the troops.
Later that afternoon, Pelosi and Schumer took part in a 30-minute phone call with military leaders and at one point accused “the national security apparatus of knowing that protesters were planning an attack on the Capitol,” according to the timeline. the Pentagon.
A Pentagon spokesman said they were “unsure” which document the AP was referring to, but that the National Guard’s response was based on a request from DC Mayor. Muriel Bowser
Muriel Bowser The Hill’s Morning Report – Biden and McConnell Agree on Vaccines, Clash Over Washington, DC Infrastructure to Extend COVID-19 Vaccine Suitability to Age 16 and Over DC Mayor Loosens Some COVID-19 -restrictions MORE (D).
“I can tell you that the DC National Guard’s preparation and stance was based on the only request for assistance the Pentagon received from the DC Mayor for limited support, primarily for street closures and crowd control involving 340 DCNGs in various locations in the District were involved in facilitating and protecting peaceful demonstrations, ”the spokesman wrote in an email to The Hill.
The new timeline comes after the Inspector General of the Capitol Police said in a report obtained by CNN On Thursday, officers were given outdated equipment and were unable to follow up on additional intelligence ahead of the Jan. 6 attack.
Thursday’s report was the second from the inspector general’s office slamming ‘shortcomings’ in the agency’s handling of the intelligence that sparked the deadly January 6 uprising at the Capitol after the release of a similar report last week
Updated: 3:35 PM