US Army Leader Defends Delayed Response To Pentagon Capitol Building Insurrection

A prominent US Army leader has defended the Pentagon's response to the 6 January insurrection at the US Capitol, telling a House of Representatives panel that the National Guard was delayed for hours because it had to properly prepare for the deployment.

Lieutenant General Walter Piatt also stated that senior military leaders had determined beforehand that the military had "no role" in determining the outcome of an election.

Lt Gen Piatt, director of the Army Staff, echoed comments from other senior military leaders about the perception of soldiers being used to secure the election process.

He said the Pentagon wanted to be careful about their response in part because of concerns about military helicopters that had flown low over Washington streets during protests over the killing of George Floyd in the summer of 2020.

It took several hours for guardsmen to be equipped and given a plan for how to secure the Capitol, Lt Gen Piatt said.

The building was overrun by hundreds of supporters of former President Donald Trump in an effort to stop the certification of incoming president Joe Biden's victory.

"When people's lives are on the line, two minutes is too long," Lt Gen Piatt said.

"But we were not positioned to respond to that urgent request.

"We had to re-prepare so we would send them in prepared for this new mission." 

Lt Gen Piatt's testimony comes as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the House will step up its investigations into the deadly riots, in which a violent mob overran police, broke into the building and looked for lawmakers.

Ms Pelosi told the House they "can't wait any longer" to conduct a comprehensive investigation after Senate Republicans blocked legislation to create an independent commission.

"Whether we have a commission today, tomorrow or the next day over in the Senate, or not, the work of the committees will be very important in what we're seeking for the American people – the truth," she said. 

One option under consideration is a select committee on the 6 January attack, a setup that would put majority Democrats in charge.

Cover image: US Capitol protests on 6 January (Picture: PA).