© Jack Gruber / USA TODAY NETWORK
Syndication: USA TODAY
WASHINGTON (77WABC) — New government memos show that the pentagon first raised the possibility of sending national guard troops to the U.S. Capitol four days before the Jan. 6 riots.
First reported by Just the News, this reportedly set in motion a series of rejections by capitol police and democrats that left congress vulnerable as threats of violence were rising. An official timeline of the Jan. 6 tragedy put together by Capitol Police shows that a defense department official reached out to Capitol Police Deputy Chief Sean Gallagher on Jan. 2, 2021, to see if a request for troops was necessary — but the offer was rejected after a consultation with then-chief Steve Sund.
The rejection came as the Capitol Police department was beginning to change its assessment of the day, recognizing that the Trump rally protesting the Nov. 2020 election results planned for Jan. 6, 2021 had the potential for violence.
Earlier analyses suggested such violence was unlikely and the Jan. 6 event was likely to be similar to previous Trump supporter marches.
