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Fact check: How long did it take for the National Guard to respond on January 6th 2021?
1. Summary of the results
The National Guard arrived at the Capitol at approximately 5:40 PM [1], which was over 3 hours after rioters initially breached the Capitol around 2 PM. The timeline shows that:
- First requests for National Guard support began at 1:09 PM [1]
- Formal approval was given at 2:10 PM [1]
- Full mobilization was ordered at 3:04 PM by Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller [2]
- Guard Commander received deployment orders at 5:08 PM [3]
- First troops arrived at 5:40 PM, after most violence had subsided [2]
2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints
Several crucial contextual elements emerge from the analyses:
*Pre-riot preparation:
- President Trump had allegedly authorized National Guard deployment on January 3rd and offered 10,000 troops on January 5th [3]
Specific delays identified:
- A 90-minute delay between Pentagon's approval for Guard movement to D.C. Armory and subsequent approval to move to the Capitol [4]
- A 30-minute delay in communicating the approval to the Guard's commanding officer [4]
**3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement**
The simple question of response time masks several competing narratives, each serving different political interests:
Democratic perspective:
- Emphasizes the lengthy delay and Pentagon officials' role in slowing deployment [5]
- Benefits those arguing for reform in emergency response protocols
Republican perspective:
- Highlights Trump's pre-authorization and claims that Democrat leaders and Pentagon officials delayed deployment due to "optics" concerns [3]
- Benefits those seeking to minimize Trump administration's responsibility
Bureaucratic perspective:*
- Focuses on communication issues and approval processes between agencies [1]
- Benefits government agencies by attributing delays to systemic rather than individual failures
Each source provides details that support different interpretations of responsibility for the delayed response, highlighting the complex nature of the event and its political aftermath.