The D.C. National Guard chief on Wednesday told lawmakers he would have “immediately” activated his forces to assist U.S. Capitol Police on Jan. 6 if his authority had not been restricted by the Pentagon.
“I would have sent them there immediately as soon as I hung up,” Commanding Gen. William Walker told lawmakers on the Senate Rules Committee and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee at a hearing evaluating the security breakdown that occurred when a pro-Trump mob attacked the Capitol.
“My next call would have been to my subordinate commanders, to get every single guardsman in this building and everybody that’s helping the Metropolitan Police…to the Capitol, without delay.”
Walker on Wednesday told lawmakers about a Jan. 5 letter from acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller that restricted his ability to deploy the Quick Reaction Force and seek approval from higher ups before moving his National Guard forces.
h/t Mauser98
