Head of DC National Guard to be House sergeant-at-arms
WASHINGTON — Maj. Gen. William Walker, commanding general of the District of Columbia National Guard, was tapped Friday to become the House’s first African American sergeant-at-arms as Congress sorts through the grave security failings revealed by the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday announced the appointment of Walker, who was closely involved with the security that day as he dispatched troops to back up overwhelmed Capitol Police.
He will replace Paul Irving, who resigned immediately after the insurrection. Walker’s testimony has been a crucial part of investigations into how hundreds of former President Donald Trump’s supporters could have invaded the Capitol and sent members of the House and Senate fleeing for their lives. National Guard troops were delayed in getting to the building as the rioters beat up police officers and smashed through windows and doors to get in.
Walker testified in a Senate hearing that the then-chief of the Capitol Police requested military support in a “voice cracking with emotion” in a 1:49 p.m. call that day as rioters began pushing toward the Capitol. Walker said he immediately relayed the request to the Army but did not learn until after 5 p.m. that the Defense Department had approved it. Guard troops, who had been waiting, arrived at the Capitol in 18 minutes, Walker said.
While other officials have pointed blame at one another and spoken of meetings and conversations about the optics of a military presence, Walker has given the most detailed account of the delay. Pentagon officials have said they wanted to take time to understand precisely how National Guard troops would be used at the Capitol and what assignments they would be given.
Pelosi, D-Calif., praised Walker’s 39 years of military experience, which she said “will be an important asset to the House, particularly in light of the Jan. 6 insurrection.”
House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy of California also praised Walker, saying he “possesses the experience, skill set, and vision” for the job.
Walker’s appointment comes as the House is ramping up its investigations into the events of Jan. 6. On Thursday, seven House committees asked 10 federal agencies for documents and communications from the government as part of a wide-ranging investigation.
Pelosi is expanding the House probe as hopes for creating an independent commission to study the attack are fading. Pelosi had proposed legislation that would create a panel modeled after the commission that investigated the Sept. 11 attacks, but Republicans rejected the proposal, saying it would be overly tilted toward Democrats.
Pelosi said Thursday that she would still like to have a bipartisan commission but that there were other ways to investigate the riot.
“We have to find the truth,” Pelosi said. “And we will, and we’re not walking away from that.”
The committees sent letters to the White House, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, National Archives, FBI, National Guard Bureau, the U.S. Park Police and the departments of Justice, Defense, Interior and Homeland Security. They asked for documents and communications between early December and Biden’s Jan. 20 inauguration about preparations for protests, discussions about the electoral count and any action related to the events of Jan. 6 and its aftermath.
Senate committees are also looking into the insurrection.