Updated: March 8, 2021
Governor Larry Hogan of Maryland said on Thursday he was repeatedly denied permission to deploy the national guard and state police to Washington D.C. as the U.S. Capitol was being assaulted by President Donald Trump’s rioters.
The permission came nearly two hours later, even as the U.S. Capitol was under attack by the insurrectionists who broke windows, ransacked offices and unleashed mayhem.
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Speaking at a news conference, Hogan, a Republican, said he had mobilized the national guard and state police when asked to go to Washington to help protect the U.S. Capitol, but the state was repeatedly denied permission to deploy.
It was only after several denials that he was finally authorized to send help by a defense official.
“There’s been ongoing discussions with all the federal agencies and all of our four state agencies for a long time about the inauguration, which we’re always involved in, but this particular mission yesterday, you know, it just seemed to be a little dysfunctional,” Hogan said, adding that the District of Columbia submitted a direct request for help, and he immediately mobilized state police and the national guard, but the state was repeatedly denied approval.
The Republican governor said he was in the middle of a videoconference with the Japanese ambassador to the United States when his chief of staff came in to tell him that U.S. Capitol “was under attack.”
He said left the meeting immediately and convened an emergency meeting to mobilize state troopers and the national guard but he was met with several refusals to deploy them.
Hogan said he was in the middle of that meeting when he received a call from Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer, the number 2 House Democrat, who informed him that he was with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer “in an undisclosed bunker.”
Hogan said Hoyer informed him that the U.S. Capitol Police were overwhelmed and was “pleading” with him to send in the national guard, but the governor informed him he had not received authorization.
“He was yelling across the room to Schumer who, and they were back and forth saying, ‘We do have the authorization,’ and I’m saying: “I’m telling you, we not have authorization.”
Hogan said it was an hour and a half after speaking with Hoyer that he heard from Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy, who then told him “Can you come as soon as possible?”
“Yeah, we’ve been waiting, We’re ready,” Hogan replied.
“I can’t tell you what was going on on the other end, on the decision-making process. There’s been lots of speculation in the media about that, but I’m not privy to what was going on inside the White House or inside the Pentagon,” Hogan said.
He said President Donald Trump should resign or be removed from office.
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