National Guard didn't arrive at Capitol until 3 hours after Capitol Police chief's urgent request


The fact that an armed mob of people angry over President Trump's loss was able to maraud through the U.S. Capitol while the entire Congress and Vice President Mike Pence were inside is "such an embarrassingly bad failure" of law enforcement, former U.S. counterterrorism official R.P. Eddy tells The New York Times. "But it could have been so much worse." Five people died, but every lawmaker made it out unharmed, including the top three people in the presidential line of succession.
Outgoing Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund started getting nervous about the size of the pro-Trump crowd converging on Washington on Monday, he told The Washington Post on Sunday, but the House and Senate sergeants at arms turned down his request to ask the D.C. National Guard to be on standby during Wednesday's ceremonial Electoral College count. He pleaded for help five more times on Wednesday, he said. Sund and both sergeants at arms have resigned.
The first contingent of protesters arrived at the Capitol at 12:40 p.m., and Sund said he knew things were bad very quickly. "Violent confrontations from the start. They came with riot helmets, gas masks, shields, pepper spray, fireworks, climbing gear — climbing gear! — explosives, metal pipes, baseball bats." The mob breached the Capitol just before 2 p.m. At 2:26 p.m., Sund joined a conference call to the Pentagon.
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.
"I am making an urgent, urgent immediate request for National Guard assistance," Sund recalled saying. Lt. Gen. Walter Piatt, director of the Army Staff said he could not recommend the deployment, telling Sund and the others on the call that he didn't "like the visual of the National Guard standing a police line with the Capitol in the background," Sund and others said. A livid D.C. Police Metropolitan Chief Robert Contee demanded three times, "Are you denying the request?" the Times reports, and Piatt said no, but he needed approval from up the chain of command.
According to a timeline from the Pentagon, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy verbally approved the request at 3:04 p.m. "Despite Sund's pleas, the first National Guard personnel didn't arrive at the Capitol until 5:40 p.m. — after four people had died and the worst was long over," the Post reports. Piatt defended his caution, telling the Times, "The last thing you want to do is throw forces at it where you have no idea where they're going, and all of a sudden it gets a lot worse."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Can US tourism survive Trump's policies?
Today's Big Question The tourist economy is 'heading in the wrong direction'
-
September's books tell of friendship in middle age, teachers versus fascists, and Covid psychosis
the week recommends September books include Angela Flournoy's 'The Wilderness,' Randi Weingarten's 'Why Fascists Fear Teachers' and Patricia Lockwood's 'Will There Ever Be Another You'
-
'Total rat eradication in New York has been deemed impossible'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battle
Speed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants
-
Florida aims to end all state vaccine requirements
Speed Read Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continues to cut vaccine access and install anti-vaccine activists at the FDA and CDC
-
US kills 11 on 'drug-carrying boat' off Venezuela
Speed Read Trump claimed those killed in the strike were 'positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists' shipping drugs to the US
-
Trump vows to send federal forces to Chicago, Baltimore
Speed Read The announcement followed a California judge ruling that Trump's LA troop deployment was illegal
-
Trump crypto token launch earns family billions
Speed Read The World Liberty Financial token is now the Trump family's 'most valuable asset'
-
RFK Jr. names new CDC head as staff revolt
Speed Read Kennedy installed his deputy, Jim O'Neill, as acting CDC director
-
DC prosecutors lose bid to indict sandwich thrower
Speed Read Prosecutors sought to charge Sean Dunn with assaulting a federal officer