Tag: authority

The commander of the District of Columbia National Guard said he was unable to immediately send troops to aid law enforcement officials on Jan. 6 as the U.S. Capitol was under siege because his authority to do so without additional sign-off was taken away by the Pentagon. 

CAPITOL RIOT PROBE EXPANDS AS AUTHORITIES SEARCH FOR OVER 400 SUSPECTS, SEEK SEDITION CHARGES

“All military commanders normally have immediate response authority to protect property, life, and in my case, federal functions — federal property and life,” Maj. Gen. William Walker said in an interview with the Washington Post. “But in this instance, I did not have that authority.”

Instead, when he received the initial call from the Capitol Police chief warning that an insurrection was about to take place, Walker had to wait for the all-clear from then-Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy and then-acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller before ordering troops