Backup was denied, former Capitol Police chief says

[LiberalArkie]

Updated: Jan. 10, 2021 11:46 p.m

WASHINGTON - Two days before Congress was set to formalize President-elect Joe Biden's victory, Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund was growing worried about the size of the pro-Trump crowds expected to stream into the District of Columbia in protest.

To be on the safe side, Sund asked House and Senate security officials for permission to request that the D.C. National Guard be placed on standby in case he needed quick backup.

But, Sund said Sunday, they turned him down.

In his first interview since pro-Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol last week, Sund, who has since resigned, said his supervisors were reluctant to take formal steps to put the Guard on call even as police intelligence suggested that the crowd President Donald Trump had invited to Washington to protest his defeat probably would be much larger than earlier demonstrations.

House Sergeant at Arms Paul Irving said he was not comfortable with the "optics" of formally declaring an emergency before the demonstration, Sund said. Meanwhile, Senate Sergeant at Arms Michael Stenger suggested that Sund informally seek his Guard contacts, asking them to "lean forward" and be on alert in case Capitol Police needed their help.

Snip

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/Backup-was-denied-Capitol-Police-chief-says-15860394.php

[soothsayer]

1. Incompetent or traitorous or both?

[LiberalArkie]

3. Optics. The leaders of the house and senate did not want to be blamed for the optics of them

giving the ok to having a lot of military people like at Trumps march to the cathedral.

[soothsayer]

4. Hmm. I suppose it could be that simple.

We shall see.

No contingency plans though?

No extra USCP folks?

It’ll all come out in the wash I guess.

[LiberalArkie]

6. The mayor of DC did set the conditions for the National Guard.

According to a U.S. defense official, Bowser put in a request on New Year's Eve to have Guard members on the streets from Tuesday to Thursday to help with the protests. The official said the additional forces will be used for traffic control and other assistance but they will not be armed or wearing body armor. Congress is meeting this week to certify the Electoral College results, and Trump has refused to concede while whipping up support for protests.

Some 340 D.C. National Guard members will be activated, with about 115 on duty in the streets at any given time, said the defense official, who provided details on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. The official said Guard members will be used to set up traffic control points around the city and to stand with district police officers at all the city's Metro stops. Contee said Guard troops will also be used for some crowd management.

https://www.startribune.com/dc-mayor-calls-in-national-guard-ahead-of-pro-trump-protests/600006633/

[soothsayer]

9. Right, but she doesn't protect the Capitol (i don't think)

Could be a simple failure or series of failures, and/or bad judgment, and/or that no one correctly assessed the threat level.

I’m open.

[LiberalArkie]

11. I believe you are correct. More than likely just too many prima donna's involved.

The line "What we have here is a failure to communicate" comes to mind.

The Army knew, but they could not do anything because no one wanted it to look like the Trump and the Bible procession.

[soothsayer]

13. If it's that simple, with no sinister meddling from Drumpf's Pentagon appointees...

It wouldn’t be the first time.

[Squinch]

2. Man, the finger pointing around this! This morning Joe Trumpnormalizer was blaming the DC Mayor.

[LiberalArkie]

5. She did request that the DC National Guard not be armed or in battle clothing. It was in her press

conference I think the day before. She did not want people to think that the NG would act like they did on Trumps bible walk.

According to a U.S. defense official, Bowser put in a request on New Year's Eve to have Guard members on the streets from Tuesday to Thursday to help with the protests. The official said the additional forces will be used for traffic control and other assistance but they will not be armed or wearing body armor. Congress is meeting this week to certify the Electoral College results, and Trump has refused to concede while whipping up support for protests.

Some 340 D.C. National Guard members will be activated, with about 115 on duty in the streets at any given time, said the defense official, who provided details on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. The official said Guard members will be used to set up traffic control points around the city and to stand with district police officers at all the city's Metro stops. Contee said Guard troops will also be used for some crowd management.

https://www.startribune.com/dc-mayor-calls-in-national-guard-ahead-of-pro-trump-protests/600006633/

[Squinch]

7. Yes. But HE was saying she told them not to come.

[LiberalArkie]

8. I did not see it, but maybe he meant that they could not come in a defense role, only in a traffic

cop role.

[LisaL]

10. We could have lost bunch of congress people because officials were so afraid to show force.

I don't know which one of them did what precisely, but sounds like all of them were afraid to actually show force to the rioters.

[LiberalArkie]

12. Yep.. You are exactly correct.