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Outgoing Capitol Police Chief Says Officials Dismissed Plans for National
Guard Backup

VOA News

   Outgoing U.S. Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund told the Washington Post
   that security officials in the House of Representatives and Senate
   denied his request to ask the National Guard to be ready to help ahead
   of last week's attack on the U.S. Capitol.

   "If we would have had the National Guard, we could have held them at
   bay longer, until more officers from our partner agencies could
   arrive," Sund told the Post.

   Sund said Senate Sergeant at Arms Michael Stenger suggested he have
   informal talks with National Guard officials to have personnel on alert
   in case they were needed, and that House Sergeant at Arms Paul Irving
   expressed discomfort with how it would look to formally declare an
   emergency ahead of the planned demonstrations by President Donald
   Trump's supporters.

   The newspaper said Stenger declined to discuss the matter when
   approached for an interview, and that it was unable to reach Irving for
   comment.

   A Pentagon spokesman said last week that U.S. Capitol Police did not
   make a request for National Guard backup ahead of the riot that left
   five people dead, including a Capitol Police officer.

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