Former D.C. National Guard Commander Calls for Retraction of Allegedly False Jan. 6 Report

William J. Walker, the former commanding general of the D.C. National Guard, claims an inspector general report that says Army leaders had to tell him twice to send troops to the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection is false and demanding it be retracted and corrected, reports the Washington Post. Walker, who is retired from the military and now serves as the House sergeant-at-arms, argues that he never received a call from Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy at 4:35 p.m., as alleged in a report by the Defense Department’s acting inspector general Sean O’Donnell and, instead, received authorization to deploy troops at 5:08 p.m. and immediately dispatched those forces.

O’Donnell’s office interviewed 44 witnesses, including Walker, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy and dozens of other Pentagon and police officials. Investigators concluded that the military’s response was “reasonable in light of the circumstances,” and that McCarthy and other Pentagon officials were acting within their purview in withholding military assistance until they could make better sense of the chaos. Walker contends that restrictions placed on him by McCarthy and Trump’s acting defense secretary, Christopher Miller, prevented him from sending Guard members to assist sooner. Walker said the inspector general’s office did not corroborate simple information and based its conclusions on errors of fact. He thinks delay within the Pentagon prevented his forces from a speedier arrival and that such a mistake could be repeated without proper examination.