OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
The former chief of the U.S. Capitol Police has made a stunning revelation that appears to match claims about former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that then-President Donald Trump has made regarding assistance prior to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
During testimony before a House committee, Steven Sund claimed that three days before the riot at the Capitol Building, U.S. House Sergeant at Arms Paul Irving rejected Sund’s request to deploy hundreds of National Guard soldiers because Irving told him then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) would “never go for it,” The Epoch Times reported.
Sund’s comments came during testimony before the House Oversight Committee during a 90-minute hearing, the outlet added, his first before a House panel since he was forced to resign his post two days after the riot. Also, he was never called at all to testify before Pelosi’s hand-picked Jan. 6 Committee.
Sund said he was frustrated by the refusal of the offer of troops because their presence that day, he believes, would have been a “game-changer.”
The outlet added:
Mr. Sund said in meetings with Mr. Irving and Senate Sergeant at Arms Michael Stenger on Jan. 3, he had asked them to approve his request for National Guard soldiers to help secure the Capitol on Jan. 6. Mr. Irving and Mr. Stenger made up two-thirds of the Capitol Police Board, which oversees U.S. Capitol Police and had to approve any such requests.
He met first with Mr. Irving.
“I went into his office, again 9:24 in the morning … and immediately went up and said, ‘Hey, I’d like to bring in the National Guard to support me on, to assist me on the perimeter because when we have a joint session of Congress, it takes a lot of our personnel inside,’” Sund said during his testimony, the outlet added.
“But immediately, as soon as I asked him, his first response was: ‘I don’t know. I don’t like the optics of that,’” Sund testified. “And his second response was, ‘Besides, the intelligence doesn’t support it.’”
Irving instructed Sund to go speak with Stenger, which he did around two hours later, he explained to lawmakers.
“‘You know, let’s come up with another idea,’” Sund said, quoting Stenger, who also suggested that the police chief reach out to the Pentagon to see how quickly Guard personnel could respond if needed.
“So I called [Army Gen.] William Walker, 6:14 p.m. that night,” Sund testified. “He told me they have 125 people assisting with COVID response. He could reallocate those fairly quickly once he got secretary of defense approval and send them over.”
At one point, Sund was asked by subcommittee Chairman Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) if he believed that Irving tipped off Stenger before Sund arrived at Stenger’s Senate office. Sund said he asked Stenger that very question at a lunch meeting in April 2021.
“I said, ‘Mr. Stenger, you came up with that response fairly quickly for me to call General Walker,’” Mr. Sund testified. “And he told me Paul Irving had called him ahead of time and said: ‘Sund came here looking for the National, asking for the National Guard. We got to come up with another plan. Pelosi will never go for it.'”
“I was floored by him saying that,” Sund testified.
This week, Democrats and liberals were outraged after Pelosi was booted from her plush congressional office, reportedly to make way for former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).
Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), who took over the gavel temporarily after a handful of Republicans and all Democrats ousted McCarthy (R-Calif.) earlier this week, sent Pelosi the eviction notice the following day, angering members of her party.
Pelosi herself was among the first to criticize the move.
“With all of the important decisions that the new Republican Leadership must address, which we are all eagerly awaiting, one of the first actions taken by the new Speaker Pro Tempore was to order me to immediately vacate my office in the Capitol,” she said on Wednesday.
She added, “Sadly, because I am in California to mourn the loss of and pay tribute to my dear friend Dianne Feinstein, I am unable to retrieve my belongings at this time.”
