Things went less than well for former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi when she tried attacking President Trump’s deployment of National Guard troopers to DC in an attempt to crack down on crime by comparing it to January 6, with the former Chief of the US Capitol Police chiming in to hammer her for her false claims.
As background, FBI Director Kash Patel and many others on the right, particularly the MAGA side of the conservative movement, have alleged that the former speaker is at least partially responsible for what happened because of her alleged role in not ensuring the National Guard was ready to stop rioting ahead of time. So, whenever she brings the incident up, she tends to face backlash.
This time, that happened when former House Speaker Pelosi took to X to whine about the president’s decision to use National Guard troopers in his crime crackdown, claiming that it was his fault they weren’t ready for J6. She began, “Donald Trump delayed deploying the National Guard on January 6th when our Capitol was under violent attack and lives were at stake.”
Then, complaining that dealing with the district’s infamous amount of crime is somehow tyrannical, the former Speaker then declared, “Now, he’s activating the DC Guard to distract from his incompetent mishandling of tariffs, health care, education and immigration — just to name a few blunders.”
Firing back in an angry comment, former Chief of the U.S. Capitol Police Steven Sund snapped his allegation that it was the Speaker of the House-controlled House Sergeant at Arms who denied National Guard assistance, saying, “Ma’am, it is long past time to be honest with the American people. On January 3, I requested National Guard assistance, but your Sergeant at Arms denied it.”
Continuing, he declared that he was unable, under federal law, to call up the National Guard for help without such approval, saying, “Under federal law (2 U.S.C. §1970), I was prohibited from calling them in without specific approval.” He added, on that same point, “That same day, Carol Corbin at the Pentagon offered National Guard support, but I was forced to decline because I lacked the legal authority.”
Further, the former Capitol Police Chief alleged that the request was denied repeatedly even on the day itself, writing, “On January 6, while the Capitol was under attack and despite my repeated calls, your Sergeant at Arms again denied my urgent requests for over 70 agonizing minutes, “’unning it up the chain’ for your approval.”
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Concluding, he alleged that she was, in his eyes, responsible for the day’s disaster and the subsequent impression of tyranny, saying, “When I needed assistance, it was denied. Yet when it suited you, you ordered fencing topped with concertina wire and surrounded the Capitol with thousands of armed National Guard troops.”
FBI Director Kash Patel has made much the same allegation before, even claiming as much in a Senate hearing in which he told Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) that National Guard troopers were ready, as was the federal law enforcement apparatus, but weren’t deployed because of a lack of Sergeant at Arms-granted authority. Watch the dramatic hearing here: