According to the Hill on the 7th, the U.S. Capitol Police initially rejected the support offer of the National Guard and the FBI, which eventually led to Trump supporters breaking into the Capitol.
The Pentagon contacted the Capitol Police three days before the planned protest to see if they needed assistance from the National Guard, according to the Associated Press.
When protesters invaded the Capitol, senior officials of the Department of Justice contacted them again to see if they needed the assistance of FBI agents. Both proposals were rejected, people familiar with the matter told the Associated Press.
When asked by reporters “why there was no army or any other reserve security forces in the Capitol yesterday”, U.S. Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy said that the congressional police did not ask for assistance from the National Guard, which was a prerequisite for the deployment of the guard.
According to the Army Times, McCarthy and Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Global Security Kenneth Lapuano clarified that Capitol police had repeatedly refused to request assistance from the National Guard in a later conference call.
“Until Sunday at the latest… we are still told that additional support is not needed [the Department of Defense],” Lapuano said.
Despite ordering more people to be present to prepare, Congressional police found themselves overwhelmed when protesters began to break into the Capitol, smashing windows and destroying offices.
On Thursday local time, Steven Sander, the director of the congressional police, also resigned after Paul Owen, the House Security Officer, had submitted his resignation.
At an earlier press conference, Washington, D.C. Mayor Bowser called on Congress to pass legislation to give her control of the Washington, D.C. National Guard, saying it would make it easier for her to deal with a crisis similar to Wednesday’s attack on the Capitol.
“We can be flexible to change [deployment plans],” she explains.
At present, Washington, D.C. must clarify the deployment plan with Secretary of the Army McCarthy, who has the right to activate the Washington, D.C. Guard. She explained that the plan would be less flexible, because any change must be approved by McCarthy, who has command over the army.
In addition, civil rights groups and activists criticized the “clear use of double standards” when the U.S. police dealt with riots caused by mainly white Trump supporters. The newly elected Rep.
Cori Bush said Wednesday night that the police response would be very different if the rioters were “black and brown people”.
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