The head of the D.C. National Guard is expected to testify before Congress on Wednesday that it took more than three hours for Pentagon officials to permit his forces to respond to the Jan. 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol even as police were pleading for assistance in repelling the pro-Trump mob.
Maj. William J. Walker in testimony prepared for a Senate hearing said that he received a “frantic” call from former Capitol Police Chief“Chief Sund, his voice cracking with emotion, indicated that there was a dire emergency on Capitol Hill and requested immediate assistance of as many Guardsmen as I could muster,” Walker said in the prepared remarks.
The guard had about 340 soldiers in the area, and about 40 of those were part of a “Quick Reaction Force” that were held in reserve to assist with civil disturbances.Walker said that he immediately phoned his superiors at the Pentagon to relay the request and got his soldiers ready to head to the Capitol. He did not get approval until 5:08 p.m., his prepared testimony states.
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