A bombshell report reveals Army leadership and the Inspector General stymied security efforts during the Capitol breach.
A damning new report has blown the lid off one of the most controversial aspects of January 6th: why the National Guard was delayed in responding to the chaos at the Capitol. According to findings uncovered by The Blaze, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy and Pentagon leadership allegedly stymied National Guard deployment efforts—and the Inspector General’s office may have intentionally covered up their role.
This revelation fuels long-simmering questions about failures in leadership and accountability during one of the most divisive events in modern American history.
What the Report Uncovered
The report paints a disturbing picture of Pentagon indecision and behind-the-scenes obstruction as the Capitol spiraled into chaos:
• Delays in Approving the National Guard: Leadership within the Pentagon, particularly Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy, allegedly dragged their feet when requests to deploy National Guard troops were made.
• Blocked Efforts: Documents suggest commanders on the ground repeatedly sought authorization to mobilize forces earlier but were met with bureaucratic hurdles from higher-ups.
• Inspector General’s Role: Even more explosive is the allegation that the Department of Defense Inspector General’s office worked to downplay or obscure the Pentagon’s mishandling of the crisis.
One key excerpt from the report states:
“The delay wasn’t an accident. It was a leadership failure. And the attempt to sanitize the record afterward only compounds the betrayal of public trust.”
How It Happened
The report outlines a chain of events that culminated in hours of paralysis:
1. Requests Ignored: D.C. officials and Capitol Police had been warning of potential violence in the days leading up to January 6. When the chaos erupted, urgent requests for National Guard reinforcements went unanswered for hours.
2. Leadership Confusion: Senior military officials reportedly hesitated to approve deployment, citing concerns over “optics” and political backlash.
3. Rewriting History: The Inspector General’s office allegedly omitted critical details in post-event reviews, creating a sanitized version of events that shielded Pentagon leadership from scrutiny.
Reactions and Fallout
The report has reignited fierce debate over January 6th, with both sides pointing fingers:
• Critics of the Pentagon: Lawmakers and watchdog groups have slammed the findings, calling for immediate accountability. One Republican senator stated:
“This isn’t just incompetence—it’s a deliberate cover-up. The American people deserve to know who failed and why.”
• Defenders Push Back: Some officials have disputed the report’s conclusions, insisting that the delays were the result of confusion and rapidly evolving events, not malicious intent.
• Families Demand Answers: For families of officers injured or killed during the Capitol breach, the report is a gut punch, reinforcing frustrations that leadership failed to act when it mattered most.
Why This Matters
The findings are more than just another January 6 revelation—they cut to the heart of trust in government and institutional accountability:
• National Security Risks: The delays highlight critical vulnerabilities in how the military and federal agencies respond to domestic crises.
• A Pattern of Cover-Ups?: If the Inspector General did indeed whitewash the Pentagon’s failures, it raises larger questions about oversight and transparency within the federal government.
• Political Reverberations: With Trump preparing for a return to office, this report will fuel arguments that January 6 was not simply a failure of security, but of leadership at the highest levels.
The revelations surrounding the National Guard’s delayed deployment—and the subsequent attempts to obscure the truth—are a sobering reminder of how failures in leadership can shake a nation. As the investigation intensifies, one thing is clear: the American people deserve answers, accountability, and transparency about what really happened on January 6.
With trust in institutions already hanging by a thread, this bombshell report could be the final push for the truth—or a flashpoint for even greater division.