Pentagon, lambasted for heavy response in the past, on sideline during Capitol melee
Paul Sonne, Dan Lamothe, Missy Ryan and Alex Horton, The Washington Post
Jan. 6, 2021
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President Trump supporters scaled the walls at the Capitol during a massive protest on Jan. 6, 2021.Washington Post photo by Michael Robinson Chavez
WASHINGTON - The Pentagon scrambled to deploy more than a thousand National Guard forces to help protect the Capitol on Wednesday after they had remained on the sidelines during a limited early deployment while rioters stormed Congress.
The absence of authorized military personnel while chaos upended the certification of the presidential election was a stark contrast to the military's role in protests over racial violence in June, when National Guard helicopters flew perilously low over crowds of protesters, front-line forces massed near the city, and Pentagon leaders were criticized for appearing to support President Donald Trump's heavy-handed response.