Former U.S. Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund has challenged former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s account of the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot, releasing a timeline that disputes Pelosi’s narrative about National Guard deployment delays. He claims his repeated requests for National Guard assistance were denied by congressional security officials under Pelosi’s oversight.

Sund asserts that on January 3, he sought Guard support but was turned down, and on January 6, he made requests starting at 12:58 p.m. that were delayed over 70 minutes as approval was “run up the chain.” He argues these delays were inflicted by Pelosi’s Sergeant at Arms, rather than by the White House or Pentagon.

Pelosi, when confronted by reporters about delaying the Guard, denied having refused assistance and instead placed responsibility on then‑President Trump for delays.  She has maintained that her office operated within procedural constraints.

However, fact‑checking sources caution that there is no clear evidence Pelosi was directly informed of or intervened in the Guard requests before January 6. Public testimony indicates that Sund made his initial requests to the Sergeants at Arms (Paul Irving for the House and Michael Stenger for the Senate), who then determined whether to elevate the requests to congressional leadership.

Sund’s version of events revives scrutiny of command structures, communication protocols, and decision‑making authority during the Capitol breach. Analysts note the system’s complexity—divided authority between Capitol Police, the Capitol Police Board, congressional leadership, and the Pentagon—makes accountability murky. Whether Sund’s claims will substantially shift the historical record depends on further investigation, document disclosures, and expert review of the chain of command.