The ex-chief of the Capitol Police holds Pelosi accountable for the security lapses on January 6th.
Former U.S. Capitol Police Chief Steven A. Sund identified Rep. Nancy Pelosi as one of the main individuals accountable for the security failure that resulted in the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.
During his testimony before the House Administration oversight subcommittee on Tuesday, Mr. Sund informed lawmakers that he became aware, during the attack, that former House Speaker Pelosi had opposed the deployment of the National Guard.
On January 3, 2021, Mr. Sund discussed the possibility of involving the National Guard with House Sergeant at Arms Paul Irving and Senate Sergeant at Arms Michael Stenger. Mr. Stenger informed him that he would consult with Maj. Gen. William Walker, the commander of the D.C. National Guard, to determine the promptness of their deployment to the Capitol Complex if the need arose.
During the hearing, Mr. Sund stated that Mr. Stenger informed him, four months after the riot, that Mrs. Pelosi, a Democrat from California, had expressed her opposition to having the guard present on the capitol grounds that day.
“I expressed, ‘Mr. Stenger, you provided that response quite promptly for me to contact Gen. Walker.’ And he informed me that Paul Irving had contacted him beforehand and mentioned, ‘Sund came to me requesting the National Guard. We need to devise an alternative strategy. Pelosi will never approve it.’ I was taken aback by his statement.”
Mr. Sund reached out to Mr. Irving at 12:58 p.m. on the day when a group supporting Trump forcefully entered the Capitol and disrupted Congress’ confirmation of President Biden’s victory, asking for the National Guard to be summoned.
“He acknowledged the severity of the situation outside… and I did not receive the authorization,” he stated.
Mr. Irving mentioned that he would escalate the matter to higher authorities in order to obtain approval.
According to Mr. Sund, it took an additional 71 minutes to receive the final approval, which he understood as obtaining it from Mrs. Pelosi.
After being urged by Mrs. Nancy, Mr. Sund decided to resign from his position on Jan. 16, 2021. She held him responsible for the lack of security at the Capitol.
He asserts that he made six calls to the National Guard over a span of three days prior to the assault, yet they did not mobilize.
GOP lawmakers criticized Mrs. Pelosi and Mr. Irving for blaming Mr. Sund as the person responsible for the breach of the Capitol by pro-Trump demonstrators.
“I cannot reword”
Rep. Norma Torres of California, the top Democrat on the panel, turned the panel’s attention to former President Donald Trump’s involvement in spurring the attack.
“In the period preceding January 6, Trump persistently fueled agitation by alleging that Democrats manipulated the election and labeling it as the most significant deception in our country’s past,” she stated. “The ex-president masterminded a dishonest plan to invalidate the outcome of a democratic and impartial election. And when that strategy failed, he encouraged his followers to engage in acts of violence.”
House Republican leaders have committed to examining the previous Congress’s defunct Democratic-led House Jan. 6 Select Committee. GOP lawmakers argue that the committee mishandled its after-action report by politicizing the investigation instead of prioritizing the prevention of future security breaches.
