Inspector general debunks the narrative that the Pentagon failed to act on the day of the breach.
The Pentagon responded appropriately and in a timely fashion to urgent requests for National Guard assistance on the day of the Jan. 6 Capitol breach, according to a Defense Department inspector general report released Wednesday.
“We also determined that DoD officials did not delay or obstruct the DoD’s response,” reads the report.
The report runs counter to the narrative that was spun, in large part, by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who repeatedly claimed that the Pentagon delayed the dispatch of National Guard troops.
Miller told the John Solomon Reports podcast in an exclusive interview, after the report was released, that it “broke my heart” to see the military, which “responded really with alacrity and professionalism” just “get thrown under the bus by the politicians.”
“I was so naive. I couldn’t believe it,” he also said. “When it comes to national security, I thought we’re on the same team. I was really horrified that it had become so partisan.”
The report additionally found that former acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller and former Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy acted reasonably in deploying an additional round of soldiers more than three hours after numerous calls for assistance were fielded from D.C. and federal officials.
In March, then-Commanding General of the D.C. National Guard Maj. Gen. William Walker testified before the Senate that the Pentagon unnecessarily delayed its response to the request for assistance from the overpowered Capitol Police. Walker asserted that the Pentagon kept help from arriving for hours, when it might have arrived in minutes.
Walker was subsequently interviewed by the inspector general, but the report found no evidence to support the claim.
