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GUARDS: The National Guard in place outside the congress building from evening until Thursday Norwegian time. Photo: John Nacion / PA
It was time before the National Guard could help police in the convention building evict Trump supporters on Wednesday.
Maryland Republican Governor Larry Hogan says the state National Guard was called in “minutes” after the attack on the convention building, but permission to help was delayed 90 minutes. CNN reports.
“Our National Guard was mobilized and ready, but could not cross the border into DC to help, because it did not get permission from officials,” he says.
Washington DC does not have a governor, so permission to activate the National Guard must come from the Secretary of Defense’s office, according to the channel.
This video shows the dramatic scenes that unfolded inside the convention building:
When asked why it took so long, Hogan responds:
– We tried to get an answer, but we didn’t get it.
Hogan also says 500 members of his National Guard still remain in the capital on Sunday to ensure a peaceful takeover.
In November, Donald Trump fired Secretary of Defense Mark Esper on Twitter. He then installed Christopher C. Miller as Acting Secretary of Defense.
After Esper was fired, he said:
– Who will take care of me? It’s going to be a real yes-man, and then: God help us.
WAITING FOR PERMISSION: Maryland Governor Larry Hogan (R). Photo: Brian Witte / AP
Pence approved the deployment
The police in the congress building had no chance to resist the angry crowd. Police Chief Steven Sund on Capitol Hill announced Friday that he was resigning. The other two people responsible for security in the congress building have done the same.
According to the New York Times, the National Guard was mobilized by the acting Secretary of Defense. It was Mike Pence who approved taking them out onto the streets of the capital, and not President Trump, Defense Ministry officials have claimed.
WITHOUT SPEECH: Vice President Mike Pence (R) and President Donald Trump (R). Photo: MANDEL NGAN / AFP
According to CNN, Vice President Pence and President Trump have not spoken since Wednesday, when Congress was stormed.
Nor should Pence have ruled out the possibility of using the 25th constitutional amendment to impeach the president. A source close to Vice President Pence told CNN that Pence wants to have the opportunity in the background in case Trump becomes “more unstable.”
The 25th constitutional amendment allows the vice president and half of the government to notify Congress that the president is unfit, leading to the vice president taking power.
