Former House Sergeant-at-Arms Paul Irving said optics played a role in his decision to decline an early request from the U.S. Capitol Police for National Guard assistance in protecting the Capitol on Jan. 6, Irving\u2019s friend told The Washington Post.<\/p>\n
Irving resigned his position as the top House security official on Jan. 7, a day after violence erupted at the Capitol, leaving at least five people dead. He believed congressional leaders would have balked at the suggestion of a military presence on the Capitol grounds,\u00a0Bill Pickle, who served as the Senate sergeant-at-arms from 2003 to 2007, told the Post at Irving\u2019s request.<\/p>\n
Irving did not float the idea by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). Instead, he rejected then-U.S. Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund\u2019s request to activate the National Guard based on what he believed would be Pelosi\u2019s position on the matter, Pickle said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a reality there \u2014 the leaders\u00a0<\/strong>of the House and the Senate don\u2019t want the military up there,\u201d Pickle told the Post. \u201cThey don\u2019t want to show they can\u2019t control their own turf.\u201d<\/p>\n In a statement to the Post,\u00a0Pelosi\u2019s deputy chief of staff, Drew Hammill, said his office expects to \u201calways be fully briefed on the options.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe failure of the nation\u2019s law enforcement apparatus to fully understand the gravity of the situation coupled with the President\u2019s dramatic and deliberate incitement to violence led to the failure of any and all plans previously briefed to the Congress,\u201d Hammill said in his statement.<\/p>\n Sund and Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Michael Stenger also resigned their positions in the wake of the Capitol riot. Sund made the request to activate the National Guard two days before the attack, but said he believes Irving denied the request after consulting with Stenger.<\/p>\n It\u2019s unclear whether Stenger floated the request by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). McConnell\u2019s office did not immediately respond to HuffPost\u2019s request for comment.<\/p>\n Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers have called for a full investigation into the systemic missteps behind law enforcement\u2019s failure to prevent the insurrectionist mob from storming the Capitol. At least three police officers have been suspended and more than a dozen others are under investigation, The New York Times reported last week.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), one of Trump\u2019s closest allies in the Senate, has largely ignored the president\u2019s role in inciting the violence at the Capitol. On Sunday, he blamed\u00a0Pelosi for not doing enough to prevent the pro-Trump mob from overwhelming Capitol security.<\/p>\n Hammill berated Graham on Twitter later Sunday, calling the GOP senator\u2019s attempt to shift blame for the attack \u201cabsurd\u201d and \u201cpathetic.\u201d<\/p>\n Graham \u201cneed only look in the mirror if he wants to start pointing a finger,\u201d Hammill wrote. \u201cHe has repeatedly cast doubts on results of a fair election & dangerously fanned flames of rightwing quackery.\u201d<\/p>\nRELATED…<\/h3>\n