Pence, not Trump, reportedly approved National Guard deployment after Capitol breach
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany tweeted earlier Wednesday that President Trump had authorized the deployment of the National Guard to Washington, D.C., after his supporters breached the Capitol. There are reports, however, that it was not Trump, but Vice President Mike Pence who approved the move.
Per The New York Times, Pentagon and Trump administration officials said the green light came from the vice president, while Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller said he and Gen. Mark Milley, the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke with Pence, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), about what was happening at the Capitol. It does not appear either Miller or Milley spoke with the president.
Pence making the decision certainly seems plausible, considering Trump has reportedly angered his aides with his lax attitude toward his supporters' actions. Read more at The New York Times.
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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
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