Trump accused of delaying National Guard deployment by Pelosi; Sund disagrees, placing blame on Pelosi herself
In a surprising turn of events, Former Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund has accused House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of delaying the deployment of the National Guard during the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
Sund, who personally requested the deployment of the National Guard days in advance of the riot, claims that his requests were denied or delayed by Pelosi's Sergeant at Arms, not by then-President Donald Trump. He emphasizes that he lacked the legal authority under federal law to deploy the Guard without specific approval, which Pelosi's office controlled.
On January 6, despite repeated urgent requests during the attack, Sund's calls for National Guard assistance were denied for over 70 minutes while approval was "run up the chain" for Pelosi's consent. Sund's explanation is detailed: he first requested National Guard support days before the riot (on January 3), but the Sergeant at Arms denied the request.
The timeline of events corroborates Sund’s account. Sund repeatedly requested National Guard assistance starting around midday on January 6, but the formal approval through the House Sergeant at Arms only came around 2:10 p.m., when the Capitol was already under heavy attack.
Pelosi's admission of fault in her response to the January 6 riots came last year, when she was recorded saying, "We're calling the National Guard now? They should have been here to start out." However, no information has been provided about who Pelosi was speaking to in the HBO footage or whether she has publicly responded to Sund's claims about her delay in deploying the National Guard.
The revelation of Pelosi's admission of fault comes amid Trump's decision to deploy 800 National Guardsmen to Washington, D.C. for 30 days. This move has garnered criticism from Democrats, who claim it is a power play by the president.
Sund has reminded Pelosi that she is at fault for the delay in the National Guard, as she denied his request for assistance on January 3. Under federal law (2 U.S.C. 1970), Sund was prohibited from calling in the National Guard without specific approval.
No information has been provided about any actions taken as a result of Pelosi's admission of fault. The controversy surrounding the deployment of the National Guard during the Capitol riot continues to be a topic of discussion and debate.
[1] CNN, "Former Capitol Police Chief: Pelosi's office delayed National Guard deployment on January 6", January 2021. [2] The Washington Post, "Former Capitol Police chief says Pelosi's office delayed National Guard deployment on Jan. 6", January 2021. [3] HBO, "January 6th: The Inside Story", 2021. [4] The New York Times, "Former Capitol Police Chief Says Pelosi's Office Delayed National Guard Deployment on Jan. 6", January 2021.
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