Extra cops were sent to protect generals' homes on Jan. 6 instead of the Capitol — even though they weren't needed

Sarah K. Burris
January 01, 2023

Capitol police in riot uniform (Photo by Julian Leshay)

Washington Post reporter Carol Leonnig wrote Sunday that among the failures on Jan. 6 was the lack of police available at the attack site. One of those reasons places the blame on the Pentagon itself.

According to the report, Steven A. Sund's new book, the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and even the U.S. Capitol Police were aware that there was chatter about right-wing extremists going after the Capitol. Still, they didn't take steps to protect the members. In fact, senior military leaders delayed sending help because they had their own political and tactical worries, the book alleges.

“Courage Under Fire,” which will be published Tuesday, reveals that Sund believes it could all happen again.

He describes his own personal shock as 10,000 protesters descended on the building and began beating and attacking police officers.

"Sund said his shock shifted to agony as he unsuccessfully begged military generals for National Guard reinforcements," said the Post. "Though they delayed sending help until it was too late for Sund’s overrun corps, he says that he later discovered that the Pentagon had rushed to send security teams to protect military officials’ homes in Washington, none of which were under attack."

He had a call with two generals at about 2:35 p.m., about 20 minutes after the attackers broke through the doors and lawmakers were rushing to safety. He said that Lt. Gen. Walter Piatt said he didn't like the optics of sending uniformed Guard soldiers to the Capitol but would put them at roadside checkpoints. The comment is shocking because it's exactly what Donald Trump and Republicans have claimed Nancy Pelosi said before the attack. It turns out, it came from Trump's allies instead.

Republicans are plotting a hearing where they can name Pelosi as the problem for Jan. 6. They've published their own report, but it is a far cry from the Jan. 6 committee's thousands of pages of information and interviews.

“It’s a response I will never forget for the rest of my life,” Sund writes in the book. He recalled hearing the frantic voices of officers being sent to the command center while he was on the phone: “Shots fired in the Capitol, shots fired in the Capitol.”

“Is that urgent enough for you now?” Sund barked at the military leader.

Read the full report by Leonnig at the Washington Post.