Although Irving was firm in his stance that only the Capitol Police Board had the authority to request National Guard assistance, he nonetheless sought out the chief of staff to the Speaker to inform her of the impending request.181 He did not need her to sign off, but "[a]ny change in security posture, given the time, I would give them a heads-up."[182]
The Speaker's chief of staff "immediately scribbled down a note" and went over to inform the Speaker—who was in the chair presiding over the floor debate on the Arizona objections—about the request for the National Guard.[183] "Absolutely. Go," Speaker Nancy Pelosi said.[184] Later, as they were evacuating the floor to an undisclosed location, the Speaker asked her, "Is the National Guard coming?"[185] The Speaker's chief of staff said, "Yes, we asked them."[186]
Irving said the formal request for Guard assistance came in a call after 2 p.m. from Chief Sund "and, of course, we said absolutely."[187] Chief Sund said he had made the request in that earlier 12:57 or 12:58 call and had been waiting for 71 minutes.[188] "I hung up the phone. I yelled across the command center, ['M]ark the time, 2:10, I finally got approval from the Capitol Police Board for the use of the National Guard,'" Chief Sund said.[189]
At around 2:30 p.m., Director Rodriguez patched Chief Contee—and a largely silent Mayor Bowser listening in[190]—into the conference call with Chief Sund and Major General Walker, who brought in General Piatt.[191] Major General Walker ordered his aide-de-camp on his second day on the job, Lt. Timothy Nick, to take handwritten notes of the call and the rest of the day.[192]
On the line at the Pentagon—gathered around the speaker of the Secretary of the Army's desk phone—were General Piatt, General McConville, and Secretary McCarthy.[193] According to Secretary McCarthy, it was during the call that he learned the Capitol had been breached,[194] watching it unfold in real time on television.[195] He didn't recall hearing Chief Sund's voice on the call, but said "we were trying to get . . . what we call the operational sight picture. What is going on? How big is the crowd? How violent is the crowd? . . . They started laying out really the—just how bad it was."[196] Secretary McCarthy resolved to run to the office of Acting Secretary of Defense Miller, leaving behind instructions to General Piatt to "find out the requirements," as he was "going to get the authority."[197] "[W]e go zipping down there," General McConville said.[198] As they were leaving, General Flynn showed up.[199]
General Flynn said, "when I came by the phone," he "heard voices screaming on the end."[200] He called the tones of their voices as "chaotic"[201] and that "[y]ou couldn't tell who was talking sometimes."[202] Chief Sund was pleading for help. "I want to say he even used the word, like, 'I
