Page:Final Report of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol.pdf/772

 After an hour and a half spent in calls, travel, and making plans, Secretary McCarthy was prepared to green light the deployment of the Guard at 4:35 p.m. But miscommunication led to another half-hour delay.

Secretary McCarthy relayed the "go" order to Major General Walker—with his subordinate Brigadier General LaNeve serving as the intermediary—in a conversation Major General Walker said never happened.

According to Secretary McCarthy, Brigadier General LaNeve "wasn't a junior aide." In his role, "he can speak, once given the authority, delegated authority to speak as the Sec Army . . ." He said that the first-star officer "was standing next to me," and General Piatt said that it was generally "not uncommon" for him to ask his staff to "transmit [the] communication from the Secretary to General Walker."

For his part, Brigadier General LaNeve denies that he himself conveyed the "go" order. He said he spoke with Major General Walker first at 4:25 p.m. to tell him that his forces should, "Get on the bus, do not leave." On a second call at 4:35 p.m., Brigadier General LaNeve said he overheard Secretary McCarthy himself convey the "go" order to Major General Walker: He said something "to the effect of 'You're approved to provide support.' " Secretary McCarthy, on his part, said he never spoke a word.

Brigadier General LaNeve said the secretary then again handed him the phone to convey the details of "where to go and what officer to meet up with." Those two details would be the full extent of the "con-op" allegedly communicated to Major General Walker. He even recalled Major General Walker saying, "Roger," to acknowledge the plan. But, Brigadier General LaNeve said, there was "mass confusion in that room," and he agreed that "[t]here were huge communications problems."

Major General Walker said there was no such call, nor any like it. He said he remained on the video conference line the whole time "with everybody else," he said. He said he would not have taken an order from Brigadier General LaNeve anyhow. "[W]hy would I ever take directions from General LaNeve? Anybody? Brigadier General LaNeve, one-star," Major General Walker said. "I mean, he's not a peer, it wouldn't be somebody that would convey that type of message to me. . . So my thinking wouldn't have been that he would have been speaking on behalf of the Secretary."

Although his staff confirms they didn't see him field a call from Secretary McCarthy or Brigadier General LaNeve, including never seeing him leave their conference room, Major General Walker's own note taker appears to have jotted down at 4:37 p.m. the following: "advised to sent [sic] 150 to establish D st / 1st outer perimeter, General LaNeve," beside what appears to be his phone number. That address is the rally point