WASHINGTON -- New details from the deadly riot of Jan. 6 are in a previously undisclosed document prepared by the Pentagon for internal use.
It adds another layer of understanding about the state of fear and panic while the insurrection played out.
And it lays bare the inaction by then-President Donald Trump and how that void contributed to a slowed response by the military and law enforcement.
Vice President Mike Pence tried to assert control as rioters pummeled police and vandalized the building. In an urgent phone call to the acting defense secretary, he issued a startling demand.
“Clear the Capitol,” Pence said.
The timeline shows that the intelligence missteps, tactical errors and bureaucratic delays were eclipsed by the government’s failure to comprehend the scale and intensity of a violent uprising by its own citizens.
