Brother Major General William J. Walker

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Brother Major General William J. Walker Theta Psi Lambda '85

By Paul Sonne, Marianna Sotomayor and Aaron C. Davis March 26, 2021 at 2:12 p.m. EDT

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has tapped the commander of the D.C. National Guard to become the next House sergeant-at-arms, selecting the first African American for the post that is responsible for the chamber’s safety, as Congress overhauls its security arrangements in the wake of the Capitol riot.

Pelosi asked Maj. Gen. William J. Walker to take the job in recent days, according to people familiar with the discussions. The previous holder resigned in the wake of the insurrection on Jan. 6, which saw proTrump rioters storm the Capitol complex and threaten lawmakers in one of the nation’s biggest security failures since the 9/11 attacks.

Walker, a former special agent and top career official at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, as well as a longtime Guardsman, was leading the D.C. Guard during those events, and has since criticized the Pentagon’s leadership for restricting his powers ahead of the event and taking too long to allow him to send available Guardsmen to the Capitol. He said the delay left him “stunned.”

Top Defense Department officials have denied those accusations, saying they moved as quickly as possible,

given that the Capitol Police, the force responsible for securing Congress, had not asked the military to prepare a backup force in advance.

Walker’s statements in the days since the riot have rankled the Pentagon leadership but have earned him respect among many Capitol Hill lawmakers. In addition to criticizing the restrictions placed on him and the leadership’s reaction time, Walker said during his March 3 testimony that top Army generals had raised concerns about the “optics” of National Guard forces arriving at the Capitol after Capitol Police made an urgent request for help on Jan.6.

In a statement on Friday, Pelosi said Walker’s experience would be an “important asset” to the House in light of the Jan. 6 attack, and noted that the House must “strengthen our institution and keep our Capitol community, and all who visit, safe.”

“Throughout his long, dedicated career in public service, General William Walker has proven to be a leader of great integrity and experience who will bring his steady and patriotic leadership to this vital role,” Pelosi added. “His historic appointment as the first Black American to serve as Sergeant-at-Arms is an important step forward for this institution and our nation.”

In a statement, Walker said he was “honored and excited for the opportunity to continue to serve this great nation.” An experienced officer who has deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, Walker is a registered Republican, according to voter registration records reviewed by The Washington Post. He was selected to lead the D.C. Guard by President Donald Trump, who ousted Walker’s predecessor. Trump installed Walker at 12:01 p.m. on Inauguration Day in 2017 — changing leadership in the middle of an event deemed a national special security event, and when more than 5,000 troops from dozens of states were in the Capitol under his predecessor’s command. Unlike in the 50 states, where governors control the Guard, the D.C. National Guard answers to the president, who delegates command control to the Army and defense secretaries. President Biden will be responsible for appointing Walker’s replacement.

Walker was commanding the D.C. Guard during the federal government’s response to unrest in the District last June after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody. The use of the military during that response drew complaints from D.C. officials who viewed the reaction as running roughshod over the District.Two helicopters from the D.C. Guard also descended upon protesters in what was seen as an unnecessary use of military tactics against peaceful civilians. The incident is the subject of a Defense Department Inspector General investigation, the results of which have yet to be released. Walker said during the March 3 hearing that a subordinate officer gave the orders regarding the helicopters, but he said, as commander of the D.C. Guard, responsibility was “ultimately still me.”

Pentagon leaders carried out Trump’s wishes to militarize the area around the White House by inviting nearly 4,000 members of the Guard from states outside the District to fall under the D.C. Guard’s command and help clamp down on protesters. The maneuver was unprecedented, drawing on an obscure law changed after 9/11 that allows governors to voluntarily send Guardsmen across state lines for counterterrorism missions. It had never been used to amass troops for a potential clash with civilian protesters. Installing Walker in the job could signal that congressional leaders intend to rely more heavily on National Guard soldiers to augment security at the U.S. Capitol — possibly for years to come. A review of security operations initiated by Pelosi, and led by retired Army Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré, has recommended that Capitol Police respond to Jan. 6 by hiring nearly 900 additional officers, as well as undertaking other physical security enhancements. Officials briefed on the still ongoing drawdown of National Guard soldiers say that Walker has been an ally of Capitol Police requests to have additional Guard soldiers at the Capitol while the police force can be bolstered, and possibly more regularly after that to prepare for special events.

If confirmed by a majority of the House, Walker will be tasked with all security and logistical planning of the House chamber, its wing of the Capitol and all associated office buildings. A senior Democratic congressional aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal dynamics, said the leadership expects Walker to be voted into the position. The Senate swore in its new law enforcement leadership team Monday, which is made up of all women for the first time in its history. Karen Gibson, a retired Army lieutenant general who served as director of intelligence for U.S. Central Command, became the Senate’s sergeant-at-arms. Gibson had worked with Honoré on making recommendations for future security arrangements in the wake of the riot.

Walker will be tasked with Honoré’s report and making implementations where he can, according to the senior aide. Many of the recommendations fall on the Capitol Police, however, and require legislative funding, changes that committees need to consider before a floor vote, the aide said.

Link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/ national-security/capitol-riot-walker-nationalguard/2021/03/26/acd08b20-8e47-11eb-aff64f720ca2d479_story.html