Fact check: What role did the Speaker of the House play in January 6th National Guard deployment?

1. Summary of the results

The analyses consistently show that Speaker Nancy Pelosi had no direct authority to deploy the National Guard during the January 6th events ^[1]. The power to activate the D.C. National Guard lies exclusively with:

• The President
• The Defense Secretary
• The U.S. Army Secretary ^[2]

Rather than impeding deployment, Pelosi actively supported bringing in the National Guard:

• She approved a request to contact the Pentagon around 1:40 PM, approximately 30 minutes after rioters breached Capitol barricades ^[3]
• She and Senator Schumer called for military assistance during the attack ^[4]
• She pushed for expedited deployment when troops were delayed ^[1]

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several crucial contextual elements are missing from the original question:

• The Capitol Police Board, not the Speaker, makes decisions about National Guard deployment ^[4]
• Pelosi herself was a target of the attack ^[3]
• Pentagon delays, not congressional leadership, were responsible for the slow National Guard response ^[2]
• The D.C. National Guard reports exclusively to the President, creating a unique command structure different from other states' National Guards ^[2]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The question itself may stem from deliberate misinformation campaigns:

• The Associated Press has fact-checked and rejected claims about Pelosi's role in security failures ^[5]
• Republican claims about Pelosi's responsibility have been characterized as attempts to deflect blame from the actual events of January 6th ^[5]
• There is no evidence that Pelosi directed security officials not to call the Guard beforehand ^[4]

Those who benefit from pushing alternative narratives about Pelosi's role include:

• Political opponents seeking to shift blame away from other actors involved in the January 6th events
• Individuals and groups attempting to minimize the severity of the attack by suggesting it could have been prevented by different congressional leadership decisions