House Speaker Nancy Pelosi hired Major General William Walker, commander general of the DC National Guard, to become the first black weapons sergeant in the House who will be responsible for securing members of Congress and maintaining order on Capitol Hill. .
Walker succeeds Paul Irving, who resigned immediately after protesters attacked the Capitol on January 6 and interrupted Congressional certification of President Biden’s Electoral College victory.
Walker was leading the DC National Guard at the time of the riot and testified on March 3 before lawmakers about how Guard troops were waiting on buses to be sent to Capitol Hill to help officers who were under siege, but they had to wait three hours to obtain Pentagon approval.
Walker said that then Capitol Police, Steven Sund, contacted him at 1:49 pm with “his voice choked with emotion” that there was a terrible emergency at the Capitol and that they needed immediate help from the National Guard. Walker testified that it was not 4:32 pm that the Department of Defense approved the request.
THE HEAD OF THE NATIONAL GUARD OF DC TELLS THE ARMY GENERALS ADVISED TO SOLDIERS TO THE CAPITOLA DURING A MOTION BY OPTICS
“I think it is necessary to do a study to ensure that it never happens again,” Walker told lawmakers during his testimony. “It shouldn’t take three hours to respond to an urgent request.”
ARCHIVE PHOTO: Commander General of the National Guard of the District of Columbia Major General William J. Walker answers questions during the Hearing on Homeland Security and Government Affairs / Senate Rules and Administration to examine the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol of the United States. USA at the Capitol in Washington, USA March 3, 2021. Greg Nash / Pool via REUTERS / File Photo
(Reuters)
Pelosi, D-Calif., Said Walker’s 39 years of military service and work as a special agent for the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) will be important resources for the House in the wake of the January 6 riot, as authorities continue to examine ways to strengthen Capitol security.
“His historic appointment as the first black American to serve as a sergeant-at-arms is an important step for this institution and our nation,” said Pelosi.
Minority leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., Also praised Walker’s qualifications.
“I am confident that he has the experience, skill set and vision needed to carry out the expansive responsibilities of the Sergeant at Arms Office,” McCarthy said in a statement on Friday. “
“Major-General Walker sums up the term civil servant.”
Walker’s work is concentrated on the side of the Capitol House. The Senate has its own weapons sergeant.
CAPITOL RIOT: DEMS LOOKING FOR DOCUMENTS, COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN PROBES
The January 6 riot remains a source of division and mistrust around the Capitol, as Republican Party lawmakers have been pushing for relief from the expansion of security measures and military presence on the Capitol, while Democrats want to create a commission. like September 11 to investigate the cause of the attack.
Meanwhile, House Democrats who lead important committees are expanding their investigation, requesting a collection of documents from 16 different government entities in search of information about the January 6 attack.
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Orders are going to several executive branch agencies, including the Department of Justice, FBI, Department of Homeland Security and the White House. They are looking for communications with the White House, offers of threat assessments for security assistance and more.
Danielle Wallace and Tyler Olson of Fox News contributed to this report.