NEWSWEEK.COM 35
to the S(C'(), which didnŠt take long,”
a defense source told the newspaper,
“including about half an hour spent relaying
the reTuest to” Acting Secretary Miller.3:01 PM: +ouse Minority /eader Kevin
McCarthy tweets “What is unfolding is unac-
ceptable and un-American. It has got to stop.”
It is later reported that McCarthy spoke
to President Trump on the phone and urged
him to make a statement denouncing the ri-
oters. When Trump refuses, there is report-
edly a “screaming match” between the two.3:02 PM: Mike Baker of The New
York Times tweets “After a summer
spent on the streets of Portland, I just
keep thinking...şWhere is '+S"Š...”3:04 PM: Nelson of the New York Post
tweets “Photo of Senate right now. şWhereŠs
Pence, show yourselfŠ protester shouts.”3:04 PM: William Turton of Bloomberg
News tweets an unbelievable video
showing the west side of the Capitol, with
hundreds entering the building and many
thousands more on the steps, terraces
and extending west to the National Mall
and beyond the Reʀecting Pool. In the
video, police are standing to the side as
protesters pour into the Capitol Build-
ing “+ereŠs Washington 'C right now.”3:04 PM: Acting Secretary Miller provides
verbal approval for full activation of the '.C.
National *uard 'CN* 1,100 total per-
sonnel , according to the '2', “in support
of the MP'.” Secretary McCarthy transmits
the order to the 'CN* to move prepared
forces and undertake a full mobili]ation.
According to the PentagonŠs timeline,
the 'CN* starts redeploying soldiers from
Metro stations and mobili]es all available
non-support and non-command and control
personnel to support the '.C. Police.Note that the Pentagon, in its own words,
said that the D.C. National Guard would
support the D.C. police (MPD) and
not the U.S. Capitol Police. It wasn’t a
typo. The Army didn’t like the “opticsŤ
of the military—even the Guard—ap-
pearing to police civilians and initially
restricted what they could be used for.
Later the Pentagon would expand its
support to allow guardsmen to actually
be involved in protecting the Capitol.SPECIAL REPORTmakers, reporters and staffers streamed
ahead, I slowed so I could speak with a
visibly shaken Rep. -immy ome] '-CA.
+e was livid. I pulled out my phone and hit
record. +e took a second to ɿnd his words.
“This shouldnŠt happen in the 8 nited
States,” he said, his eyes rimmed with tears.
We reached a secure room. ThatŠs all
I can say about it at this moment. It was
large and ɿlled with leather chairs and
walnut tables, and youŠve seen it on T 9. It
was already ɿlled with lawmakers, staff-
ers and other journalists. As members
typed on their phones and were updated
by security ofɿcials on the status of the
riots, staff handed out oldɿsh crackers,
fruit snacks and little bottles of water.
A member led a prayer. Another, a
former (R doctor, reminded me to stay
hydrated. A group of 'emocrats grumbled
about Republicans not wearing masks.”
2:59 PM: Bill Clark of Roll Call tweets
from the front of the Capitol “Pro-
testers stand on top of the 8 S Capitol
Police armored vehicle as other pro-
testers take over the Capitol steps.”
At 2:59 PM, Nelson of the New York Post
tweets a photo of a protester with a combat
helmet, body armor and a set of ]ip ties
that would be used to take hostages as
he emerges from Senate ʀoor. “We didnŠt
destroy a damn thing,” the man says.
At 2:59 PM, Rep. 'avid Trone '-M'
tweets a picture of himself in the +ouse
Chamber wearing the inʀatable şgas
masks,Š the protective masks issued to
Members of Congress. “I am safe. We
have been evacuated...,” he says.
3:00 PM: The Pentagon says that Acting
Secretary Christopher Miller approves
all available '.C. National uard 'CN
forces to reinforce Capitol and '.C. Police
positions to reestablish control. Secre-
tary Ryan McCarthy directs the 'CN to
move from the '.C. armory in Southeast
Washington to the Capitol complex. The
'CN prepares to move the initial 150
personnel, pending ɿnal approval by Miller.
“The process took about an hour,”
Military Times reported, from the time
McCarthy received it around 2 p.m. on
Wednesday. “We wanted to make sure,
based off what we saw developing, that
that was an acceptable use, all the way up