Major General William Walker will be the first African-American Sergeant-at-Arms in the House of Representatives.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has asked Major General William Walker, Commanding General of the District of Columbia National Guard, to be the House of Representatives’ first African-American Sergeant-at-Arms.
Walker will lead an overhaul of House security measures as Congress reviews the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by pro-Trump protesters.
Walker sent National Guard troops to support the overwhelmed Capitol Police that day. He replaces former House Sergeant-at-Arms Paul Irving who resigned immediately after the insurgency.
“Throughout his long and dedicated public service career, General William Walker has proven to be a leader of great integrity and experience who will bring his steadfast and patriotic leadership to this vital role,” President Pelosi said in a statement on Friday announcing Walker’s appointment. .
Originally from Chicago, Walker served in the United States Army as a military police officer and served in Afghanistan after the Al Qaeda attacks in 2001. After leaving active service, he served as a special agent in the DEA and assistant administrator for 30 years. He also served in the Army National Guard and was appointed Commander of the DC National Guard in 2015.
“His experience will be an important asset to the House, especially in light of the January uprising,” Pelosi said.
There has been increased security around the U.S. Capitol since the January 6 attacks (video).
Seven House committees are asking 10 federal agencies, in Washington, DC and the Capitol Police, for documents and communications from three separate time periods before, during and after the January 6 attack, which left five people dead.
Pelosi had proposed legislation that create a panel modeled on a similar commission following the 2001 attacks.
House Republicans opposed Pelosi’s plan for a commission because it would be made up of more Democrats than Republicans, unlike the 9/11 panel.
House Democrats have impeached former President Donald Trump for inciting insurgency in his role of organizing and speaking at a rally of his supporters. Many walked on the Capitol under his leadership. Trump was acquitted of the impeachment charge by the Senate.
So far, court records suggest that members of two far-right groups, the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys, coordinated with each other before riot.
On March 25, House committees announced that they had sent letters to the White House, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the National Archives, the FBI, the Office of the National Guard, the US Park Police and the United States. departments of justice, defense, interior and internal security.
The letters demanded all relevant documents and communications between early December and Biden’s inauguration on January 20 on preparations for the protests, discussions on the election tally and actions related to the events of January 6 and its aftermath.
Earlier this month, the Senate Committee on Home and Government Affairs and the Senate Rules Committee held hearings with security officials on What did not go well as rioters burst into the Capitol and send lawmakers to flee for their lives.
“The committees expect to issue a bipartisan report on our investigation in the coming months,” said Amy Klobuchar, chair of the Senate Rules Committee, and Gary Peters, Senate chair for the Fatherland, in a joint statement with the Republicans.
