By Steve Neavling
Repeated government failures were to blame for the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, according to former Capitol Police Chief Steven A. Sund.
In a new book, Courage Under Fire, Sund wrote that federal law enforcement had received numerous warnings about the potential for violence, but none of the agencies took the proper precautions to protect the Capitol.
If the problems remain unfixed, Sund warned, a similar attack could occur in the future, according to The Washington Post, which received an advance copy of the book, which is set to be published Tuesday.
Sund described the agony and shock he felt, and how he urged military generals for National Guard reinforcements.
Sund recalled having a conference call with two Pentagon leaders at about 2:35 p.m., 20 minutes after the violent crowd had broken into the Capitol.
Sund said he felt “nauseated” and “mad as hell” after Lt. Get. Walter Pratt told him he didn’t want to send uniformed Guard troops to the Capitol because of the optics.
“It’s a response I will never forget for the rest of my life,” Sund wrote.
