Senate Rules and Homeland Security Committees Hearing on U.S. Capitol Attack, Day 2 Part 2

District of Columbia National Guard Commander Major General William Walker and national security officials testified before two Senate committees on the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Major General Walker described the “unusual” requirements the Pentagon put in place prior to January 6 on the National Guard’s ability to deploy a quick reaction force to support Capitol Police. He also described receiving a “frantic” phone call from then-Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund asking for immediate support at 1:49 p.m. on the day of the attack. He said he immediately alerted Army senior leadership, but the approval did not come from the acting defense secretary until 5:08 p.m., about three hours and 19 minutes later. Lawmakers also asked representatives from the Pentagon, FBI, and Homeland Security Department about their intelligence gathering and sharing process, which lawmakers said contributed to the lack of preparedness by Capitol Police. close