Security officials point fingers at each other in Capitol riot hearing

Tim O'Donnell
·2-min read

There was quite a bit of finger pointing Tuesday as former security officials testified before Congress about the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

Former Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund — who said he regrets resigning in the riot's aftermath — testified that he requested assistance from National Guard troops two days before the attack, but was shot down by former House sergeant-at-arms Paul Irving because of concerns about "optics." Irving, though, said Sund never made that request and suggested he would have ensured the National Guard's presence if he had.

The pair also offered conflicting stories from the day of the attack. Sund said he called Irving early on to request more help, but Irving says he has no memory of the call, even after reviewing his phone records.

Sund also alleged a lack of action on the part of the Pentagon, testifying that he waited hours for the department to authorize National Guard assistance during the assault. Read more at Politico.

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