A top Republican investigating the January 6 Capitol riot has accused military officials of defying President Trump and delaying the deployment of the National Guard to the Capitol that day. Representative Barry Loudermilk, chair of the House Administration Committee’s subcommittee on oversight, conducted a months-long investigation into the now-defunct panel set up by former Speaker Nancy Pelosi after the riot. According to Loudermilk, information gathered from senior leadership within the D.C. National Guard and the Pentagon suggests that military officials purposely delayed the National Guard’s response due to incompetence, poor communication, or concerns about optics. Loudermilk argues that if the National Guard had arrived at the Capitol sooner, lives could have been saved. Pelosi’s office responded by stating that the National Guard response could have saved lives if there had not been an unexplained delay, and that the authorities responsible in the Pentagon and White House dragged their feet.