Pence, not Trump, reportedly approved National Guard deployment after Capitol breach

Tim O'Donnell

January 6, 2021 at 7:16 PM·1 min read

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany tweeted earlier Wednesday that President Trump had authorized the deployment of the National Guard to Washington, D.C., after his supporters breached the Capitol. There are reports, however, that it was not Trump, but Vice President Mike Pence who approved the move.

This is approaching a constitutional crisis https://t.co/c8tbARwSCO pic.twitter.com/FXKiIk6ylu
— Justin Miller (@justinjm1) January 6, 2021

Per The New York Times, Pentagon and Trump administration officials said the green light came from the vice president, while Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller said he and Gen. Mark Milley, the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke with Pence, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), about what was happening at the Capitol. It does not appear either Miller or Milley spoke with the president.

New: Acting Sec Def Miller installed by Trump says he and Gen Milley and spoke separately with Pence, Pelosi, McConnell, Schumer and Hoyer about the situation at the U.S. Capitol. “We have fully activated the D.C. National Guard to assist federal and local law enforcement.”
— Roxana Tiron (@rtiron) January 6, 2021

Pence making the decision certainly seems plausible, considering Trump has reportedly angered his aides with his lax attitude toward his supporters' actions. Read more at The New York Times.