Ex-Capitol Police Chief Rips Pelosi For Attacking Trump Over Guard Deployment

However, it was Pelosi’s remarks regarding Trump in connection with the January 6 riot that provoked Steven Sund, who was the head of the Capitol Police at that time.

At one point during her press conference, Pelosi stated, “In a bipartisan manner, on January 6, amidst violence against the Constitution, against Congress, and against the United States Capitol, we implored the president of the United States to deploy the National Guard. He refused to do so.”

“And yet, in a manner contrary to the Constitution, he has dispatched the National Guard to California. There is something fundamentally wrong with this situation,” the former Speaker concluded.

Sund responded assertively: “FACT: I initiated 11 urgent calls seeking National Guard assistance on January 6, beginning at 12:58 PM. The House Sergeant at Arms, who directly reports to Speaker Pelosi, withheld approval for 71 minutes. She is responsible for significant delays and is now attempting to shift the blame onto @realDonaldTrump for the failures she contributed to. The evidence is unequivocal.”

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The Defense Department has confirmed that, following a previous request, 340 Guardsmen were activated to support law enforcement in managing traffic and crowd control on that particular day.

It is important to highlight that D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser was strongly against a significant National Guard presence on January 6, primarily due to her objections regarding President Trump’s decision to deploy the Guard during the George Floyd protests the summer prior.

“To clarify, the District of Columbia is not seeking additional federal law enforcement personnel and advises against any further deployment without immediate notification to, and consultation with, the [Metropolitan Police Department] if such plans are in progress,” she stated on X, accompanied by an image of a letter she addressed to the secretary of the Army and the acting attorney general.

Later, the Defense Department indicated that Bowser reconsidered her stance after her department and the Capitol Police were overwhelmed by rioters.

“D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser requested additional assistance. Acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller promptly activated 1,100 members of the D.C. National Guard,” the department reported.