1/7/2022, 11:11 am
Excerpt from Kimberly Strassel's op-ed What the Jan. 6 panel won't probe in the WSJ:
[blockquote]Former Capitol Police chief Steven Sund has attested that before Jan. 6 he approached House Sergeant-at-Arms Paul Irving about obtaining the assistance of National Guard troops on the day the electoral votes were to be counted, but Mr. Irving said he was concerned about “optics.” Mr. Sund says that during the violence he again urgently asked for troops, but help was delayed because Mr. Irving said he “needed to run it up the chain of command.” Mr. Irving disputes this version of events. One obvious way to settle it is to examine documents, and the Capitol Police have produced theirs to Republicans.
But Mr. Davis reports the House sergeant-at-arms and chief administrative officer—both of whom report to Mrs. Pelosi—have steadfastly refused to produce anything to him. Likewise, the House general counsel has stonewalled requests. The speaker's office wields obvious control over Capitol security decisions—as evidenced by Mrs. Pelosi's decrees on fencing or magnetometers or National Guard troops—and any legitimate investigation would start by looking at her office's briefings and involvement in Jan. 6 security—as the top of that “chain of command.” Yet when Chairman Bennie Thompson was asked in July if the committee would investigate this, he said, “I don't see the speaker being part and parcel” of the committee's remit. And the committee's given no indication it is going there.[/blockquote]
[blockquote]Former Capitol Police chief Steven Sund has attested that before Jan. 6 he approached House Sergeant-at-Arms Paul Irving about obtaining the assistance of National Guard troops on the day the electoral votes were to be counted, but Mr. Irving said he was concerned about “optics.” Mr. Sund says that during the violence he again urgently asked for troops, but help was delayed because Mr. Irving said he “needed to run it up the chain of command.” Mr. Irving disputes this version of events. One obvious way to settle it is to examine documents, and the Capitol Police have produced theirs to Republicans.
But Mr. Davis reports the House sergeant-at-arms and chief administrative officer—both of whom report to Mrs. Pelosi—have steadfastly refused to produce anything to him. Likewise, the House general counsel has stonewalled requests. The speaker's office wields obvious control over Capitol security decisions—as evidenced by Mrs. Pelosi's decrees on fencing or magnetometers or National Guard troops—and any legitimate investigation would start by looking at her office's briefings and involvement in Jan. 6 security—as the top of that “chain of command.” Yet when Chairman Bennie Thompson was asked in July if the committee would investigate this, he said, “I don't see the speaker being part and parcel” of the committee's remit. And the committee's given no indication it is going there.[/blockquote]