Former Capitol Hill Police Chief Steven Sund on Monday blasted former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., over what he called her dishonesty about blocking approval of the deployment of the National Guard to quell the Jan. 6, 2021, riot.
In a post on X, Sund took umbrage with her missive about President Donald Trump's deployment of the National Guard to Washington with her claim that he "delayed deploying" the Guard on Jan. 6.
Sund pushed back regarding Pelosi's statements.
"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. Under federal law (2 U.S.C. §1970), I was prohibited from calling them in without specific approval. That same day, Carol Corbin at the Pentagon offered National Guard support, but I was forced to decline because I lacked the legal authority. 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, 'running it up the chain' for your approval," Sund said in his post.
While Sund didn't name names, he previously said former House Sergeant at Arms Paul Irving declined his request for the National Guard, saying he wasn't comfortable with the "optics," Sund said in a 2021 interview.
Sund, Irving, and Senate Sergeant at Arms Michael Stenger resigned in the aftermath of the riots. Stenger died in June 2022.
"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," Sund concluded his Monday post.
It was also Pelosi who said in a video that she took "full responsibility" for the security failure of the Capitol.
Sund was responding to a Pelosi post in which she criticized Trump for deploying the Guard to the nation's capital on Monday.
"Donald Trump delayed deploying the National Guard on January 6th when our Capitol was under violent attack and lives were at stake. 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," Pelosi posted.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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