Outgoing Capitol Police chief Steven Sund said in an interview on Sunday that his pleas to have additional National Guard and law enforcement forces in reserve in case Wednesday’s pro-Trump protests got out of control, which they did, the New York Times reports.
Sund said that two days before the insurgency, he had asked for additional resources after he reviewed intelligence about online chatter and information about the people who were attending. His requests were rebuffed by House and Senate security officials and the Department of Defense.
Approximately 8,000 Trump supporters stormed the Capitol Wednesday, overwhelming the 1,400 Capitol Police officers on duty around the Capitol complex.
Sund said that had the National Guard had “boots on the ground” they might have been able to hold off the intruders until reinforcements arrived, but that throughout the attack he made multiple requests for more assistance, which were turned down.