The outgoing head of the Capitol Police requested that D.C. National Guard units be placed on standby in case his small force was overwhelmed by violent protesters last Wednesday, but he was rebuffed by House and Senate security officials and a top Pentagon commander, he said in an interview on Sunday.
Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund, who resigned under pressure last week, said he made the request two days before Wednesday's riot after reviewing intelligence that indicated the demonstration would be larger and more violent that previously anticipated — and repeated his request as he watched the rioters attacking his officers.
"If we would have had the National Guard, we could have held them at bay longer, until more officers from our partner agencies could arrive", Mr. Sund, who served in the top post for under a year, told The Washington Post.
