The White House blocked the promotion to four-star general for the Army officer who questioned sending National Guard troops to the Capitol during an emergency conference call on January 6th because he worried about the optics of military in Washington, DC, the Washington Post reports.

Although his promotion was endorsed by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth, and General James McConville, the Army’s top officer, the White House denied the promotion of Lt. General Walter E. Piatt, the director of the Army staff.  Piatt was up for the promotion as part of a plan to take over the Army Future Command, a joint military-private industry effort to advance technology used on the battlefield.  In September, the White House nominated Lt. General James Rainey for the position, and he was quickly approved by the Senate.

Piatt participated in a conference call with civilian and military leaders as Republican-led domestic terrorists attacked Congress to prevent the certification of Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election.  Civilian leaders beseeched the Pentagon to send troops to reinforce police on the scene, but according to testimony by then-Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund, Piatt claimed he couldn’t make the recommendation to deploy the Guard to his superior because it would be a bad look for the country.

For his part, Piatt at first denied making the comment, but two weeks after the domestic terrorist attack, he said that he didn’t recall saying that specifically, but he was told by others that what he said–he says he wanted to convey that more planning was needed, including on how to minimize the look of military marching into the capital–could have been easily misinterpreted.

In testimony before Congress in June 2021, Piatt testified, “I communicated this on the conference call, but those on the line were convinced that I was denying their request, despite [me] clearly stating three times that, ‘We are not denying your requests. We need to prepare a plan for when the secretary of the Army gains approval,’ ” Piatt testified.

The denial of the promotion effectively ends the 63-year-old Piatt’s military career after 40 years.  He will remain in his current position as Director of the Army Staff, and he will be eligible for retirement next summer.