A January 6 Mystery: Why Did It Take So Long to Deploy the National Guard?

Mark Mazzetti and Maggie Haberman / The New York Times

National Guard troops at the Capitol after it was overtaken by a violent mob of Trump supporters on Jan. 6, 2021. (photo: Kenny Holston/The New York Times)

22 July 22

As the House committee investigating Jan. 6 used its prime-time hearing on Thursday to document President Donald J. Trump’s lack of forceful response to the attack on the Capitol by his supporters, it again raised one of the enduring mysteries of that day: Why did it take so long to deploy the National Guard?

The hearing did not fully answer the question, but it shed light on Mr. Trump’s refusal to push for troops to assist police officers who were overrun by an angry mob determined to halt the certification of the 2020 presidential election.

The mobilization and deployment of National Guard troops from an armory just two miles away from the Capitol was hung up by confusion, communications breakdowns and concern over the wisdom of dispatching armed soldiers to quell the riot.

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