Fact check: Who controlled the National Guard during the January 6th Capitol incident?

1. Summary of the results

The D.C. National Guard was under direct federal control during the January 6th Capitol incident, with only three specific individuals having the authority to activate it: the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the U.S. Army Secretary ^{[1] [2]}. This command structure is unique to D.C.'s National Guard, unlike other state National Guard units which can be activated by their respective governors ^[3].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several crucial contextual elements need to be considered:

• The first National Guard members didn't arrive until 5:40 PM, hours after the initial breach ^[4]
• President Trump initially resisted deploying the National Guard ^[4]
• The D.C. mayor could not independently deploy the Guard and had to request deployment through the Department of Defense, causing significant delays ^[3]
• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi approved a request to contact the Pentagon for support around 1:40 PM, approximately 30 minutes after rioters breached the Capitol barricades ^[1]
• Vice President Mike Pence was ultimately involved in approving the Guard's deployment, not Trump directly ^[4]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

Several misconceptions and conspiracy theories have circulated regarding the National Guard's control during January 6th:

• Some have incorrectly suggested that Nancy Pelosi or other members of Congress had the power to deploy the National Guard. This is definitively false - no member of Congress had such authority ^{[2] [1]}
• The sources indicate the existence of "deep state" narratives and conspiracy theories surrounding the event ^[5], which may have contributed to public confusion about command structure
• The simple question of "who controlled" the Guard doesn't capture the complex timeline of decisions and delays that characterized the response to the Capitol riot ^{[4] [1]}