National Guard troops on duty as President Joe Biden delivers his inaugural address at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2021. (Video screenshot)
Government memos validate the long-held claim of Trump administration officials that Capitol Police rejected an offer made by the Pentagon four days before the Jan. 6 riot to provide National Guard troops.
An official Capitol Police timeline obtained by Just the News records a Jan. 2, 2021, text from Defense Department official Carol Corbin to Capitol Police deputy chief Sean Gallagher.
Corbin, according to the timeline, reached out "to determine whether USCP is considering a request for National Guard soldiers for January 6, 2021 event."
The following morning, "Gallagher replies to DOD via text that a request for National Guard support not forthcoming at this time after consultation with COP Sund," referring to Steven Sund, the chief of the Capitol Police.
Just the News noted the rejection came as the Capitol Police was beginning to change its assessment of Jan. 6, 2021, to take into account a massive Trump rally to protest the November 2020 election results.
As of Dec. 16, 2020, Capitol Police had determined there was "no information regarding specific disruptions or acts of civil disobedience targeting this function."
But internal emails and documents show police were aware of groups planning to attend the Jan. 6 rally that were discussing on social media and fringe websites tactics such a blocking tunnels leading to the Capitol.
The Just the News report comes as the partisan House Select Committee appointed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to investigate Jan. 6 prepares for its prime time televised hearing Thursday night at 8 p.m. Eastern.
New assessment
The day after Gallagher rejected the Pentagon's offer, the Capitol Police issued a new assessment to its commanders and officials warning of the possibility of violence.
"Due to the tense political environment following the 2020 election, the threat of disruptive actions or violence cannot be ruled out," the new assessment declared. "Supporters of the current president see January 6, 2021 as the last opportunity to overturn the results of the presidential election. This sense of desperation and disappointment may lead to more of an incentive to become violent."
The new assessment made Sund change his mind, and he sought permission on Monday, Jan. 4, 2021, from the sergeants at arms for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to deploy the National Guard as a preventive measure.
The official timeline shows the new request was denied. The sergeants at arms advised Sund "to contact General Walker at DC National Guard to discuss the guard's ability to support a request if needed."
Walker told Sund that if the chief were to obtain approval from Capitol officials, his team could quickly deploy 125 troops.
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Meanwhile, according to Just the News interviews with then-acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller and his chief of staff, Kash Patel, the Pentagon moved to get Trump to formally sign authorizations to deploy in advance as many as 20,000 National Guard troops if Congress asked.
"We went to the Capitol Police and the Secret Service and law enforcement agencies and Mayor Bowser days before January 6, and asked them, 'Do you want thousands of National Guardsmen and women for January 6?'" Patel told Just the News in an interview earlier this year.
"They all said no. Why did we do that? The law requires them to request it before we can deploy them. And the DOD IG found we did not delay, we actually prepared in a preemptive fashion, which is what we do at DOD."
Patel said Wednesday that the Capitol Police timeline verifies the account he gave to Congress, "that DOD support via the National Guard was refused by the House and Senate sergeant at arms, who report to Pelosi."
"Now we have it in their own writing, days before Jan. 6," he told Just the News. "And despite the FBI warning of potential for serious disturbance, no perimeter was established, no agents put on the street, and no fence put up."
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The post Memo confirms Trump Pentagon offered Guard troops before Jan. 6 appeared first on WND.
