Ex-D.C. Guard official accuses Army leaders of lying to Congress about Jan. 6


An ex-Washington, D.C. National Guard official has accused two senior Army leaders of both lying to Congress and secretly attempting to "rewrite the history of the military's response to the Capitol riot" in a report he believes worthy of "the best Stalinist or North Korea propagandist," Politico reports.
A 36-page memo written by Col. Earl Matthews calls Gen. Charles Flynn and Lt. Gen. Walter Piatt "absolute and unmitigated liars" for how the two have characterized to Congress the events of Jan. 6, including how they responded to pleas to deploy the D.C. National Guard that day.
The missive also rips into the Pentagon inspector general for what Matthews believes was an error-ridden November watchdog report that protected "a top Army official who argued against sending the National Guard to the Capitol on Jan. 6, delaying the insurrection response for hours," Politico reports.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
News of Matthews' document, obtained by Politico, arrives following a separate public call from Maj. Gen. William Walker — then the commanding general of the D.C. Guard — for the Pentagon's inspector general to "retract its detailed report on the events of Jan. 6," Politico writes. Walker called the Pentagon watchdog's memo "inaccurate" and "sloppy work."
When reached for comment, Matthews told Politico the memo he wrote is 100 percent accurate. "Our Army has never failed us and did not do so on January 6, 2021," he said. "However, occasionally some of our Army leaders have failed us and they did so on Jan. 6. Then they lied about it and tried to cover it up. They tried to smear a good man and to erase history." Read more at Politico.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
How will Labour pay for welfare U-turn?
Today's Big Question A dramatic concession to Labour rebels has left the government facing more fiscal dilemmas
-
Easy listening: the best audiobooks
The Week Recommends Swap hefty hardbacks for hands-free reading this summer
-
Sharenting: does covering children's faces on social media protect them?
In The Spotlight Privacy trend has 'trickled down' from celebrity parents but it may not protect your kids
-
Trump sues LA over immigration policies
Speed Read He is suing over the city's sanctuary law, claiming it prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities
-
Obama, Bush and Bono eulogize USAID on final day
Speed Read The US Agency for International Development, a humanitarian organization, has been gutted by the Trump administration
-
The last words and final moments of 40 presidents
The Explainer Some are eloquent quotes worthy of the holders of the highest office in the nation, and others... aren't
-
Senate advances GOP bill that costs more, cuts more
Speed Read The bill would make giant cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, leaving 11.8 million fewer people with health coverage
-
Canadian man dies in ICE custody
Speed Read A Canadian citizen with permanent US residency died at a federal detention center in Miami
-
GOP races to revise megabill after Senate rulings
Speed Read A Senate parliamentarian ruled that several changes to Medicaid included in Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" were not permissible
-
Supreme Court lets states ax Planned Parenthood funds
Speed Read The court ruled that Planned Parenthood cannot sue South Carolina over the state's effort to deny it funding
-
Trump plans Iran talks, insists nuke threat gone
Speed Read 'The war is done' and 'we destroyed the nuclear,' said President Trump