GOVERNOR HOGAN: Good afternoon. Joining me are Lieutenant Governor Boyd Rutherford, Major General Timothy Gowen, adjutant general of the Maryland National Guard, and Colonel Jerry Jones, the superintendent of the Maryland State Police.
Yesterday our nation’s capital, the seat of our federal government and the heart of our American democracy, came under siege in a heinous and violent assault. While we are all still taking stock of what happened and why it happened, I want to provide a situational update on the state of Maryland’s response yesterday and the additional actions we have taken today.
I was in the middle of a videoconference yesterday afternoon with the Japanese ambassador to the United States when my Chief of Staff came in to inform me that the U.S. Capitol was under attack. I immediately excused myself from that videoconference and convened an emergency meeting immediately of our entire unified command team, including General Gowen, Colonel Jones, our senior staff, our Homeland Security adviser, and leaders of the Maryland State Police and the Maryland National Guard.
We immediately offered support to the District of Columbia, which submitted a direct request for law enforcement support through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact. I directed Colonel Jones to immediately mobilize our entire mobile field force of 200 specially trained Maryland State Police troopers to provide security for our nation’s capital. I also instructed General Gowen to immediately call up our initial response force of the Maryland National Guard.
Right in the middle of that meeting with our security team, I got a phone call from House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, who was calling me saying that he and Speaker Pelosi and Senator Schumer were all together in an undisclosed bunker — they had been spirited off to some undisclosed location — that the U.S. Capitol Police was overwhelmed, that there was no federal law enforcement presence, and that the leaders of Congress were pleading with me as the Governor of Maryland for assistance from Maryland’s National Guard and state police.
I informed Speaker Hoyer and the other leaders that a force of specially trained riot police equipped to respond to civil disturbances as well as members of allied and local law enforcement agencies were already en route to the Capitol. I also told them that I authorized the mobilization of the Maryland National Guard and that I was ready, willing, and able to immediately deploy them to the Capitol. However, we were repeatedly denied approval to do so. Under federal law, the mayor of the District of Columbia does not have authority over the National Guard. We must receive approval from the Secretary of Defense before we’re able to send our Maryland National Guard across the border into the federal city, into the District of Columbia. So we had a little back and forth, trying to get that authorization. In the meantime, we did not hesitate to continue to mobilize and get ready so that if and when we finally got that approval, we could immediately move.
Approximately an hour and a half later, I got a call on my cell phone from the Secretary of the Army, Ryan McCarthy, who gave us the authority that we needed to be able to move in to the city.
The initial contingent of Maryland National Guard members were the first to arrive in Washington from out of state.
I just got back from the D.C. armory, where I had a chance to meet with and thank some of the members of the National Guard for their service on this important mission to protect our nation’s capital. I thanked them for their service, and I told them that this assault on our democracy cannot stand.
I just want to assure all Americans that the state of Maryland will do anything and everything we possibly can to continue to secure the core of our nation’s capital and to ensure the peaceful transition of power.
Today we are extending the Maryland National Guard’s mission in Washington, D.C., through the inauguration and the end of the month. As part of a coordinated effort with federal and local law enforcement, the Maryland State Police’s mobile field force team provided security support to restore the peace at the U.S. Capitol building last night, and also assisted the metropolitan police throughout the night with the enforcement of curfew violations.
Maryland State Police commanders are in constant communication with D.C. law enforcement officials, and we have assured them that we will continue to provide any further assistance that they require.
I spoke to Mayor Bowser last night and offered her Maryland’s full support in the days and the weeks ahead.
In addition, Maryland State Police as well as the Maryland Capitol Police, some of which you see around here, have increased security around the Maryland State House complex. There have been a number of incidents at state capitals and governors’ mansions across the country.
It is somewhat fitting that we are addressing this shameful attack on our democracy from this historic State House, which is the very first peacetime capital of the United States. After all, it was right here that the peaceful transition of power was born 236 years ago after leading the colonies to victory in the Revolutionary War. General Washington resigned his commission as Commander in Chief of the continental army right here, right there, in our old Senate chamber. At the time, the idea that a military leader would voluntarily transfer power to the people’s representatives was virtually unthinkable and was without precedent in human history. But this selfless act secured our nation’s future as a democratic republic and as the leader of the free world.
Generations of Americans have sacrificed their lives, their fortunes and sacred honor so that the miracle of self-government and the orderly transition of power could become commonplace.
Over the last two months, this sacred tradition has come under attack from our own President, who has chosen to fan the flames of hate and mislead millions of voters through lies and conspiracy theories rather than face the reality of his own defeat.
I grew up in the shadow of the United States Capitol. I proudly stood by my father’s side at age 12 on the floor of the House chamber as we both took the oath of office, an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. It’s clear to me that President Trump has abandoned this sacred oath. What we saw in the nation’s capital was not just an attack on the people’s representatives or historic buildings and our law enforcement. It was an attack on the rule of law, the foundations of self-government, and who we are as Americans. The mob may have shattered glass, but they did not and they will not shatter our democracy.
From governors and secretaries of state and the judiciary and the Congress, our institutions have held firm in the face of this attempted insurrection, but we remain at a fragile moment, and each of us, especially those who hold elected office, have a choice to make. We can show those who feel forgotten that we can actually deliver solutions to the serious problems that face us, or we can continue to perpetuate this toxic politics, rabid tribalism, and hatred. We can either face the truth or be destroyed by lies. We can either descend into chaos and rancor or we can rise above and meet this test with real courage and patriotism.
I could never fathom a day like yesterday in America. But I will not stand for it, and neither should any American. I think I speak for many Americans when I say: Enough is enough. Enough of the lies. Enough of the hate. Enough of the total dysfunction. Just enough.
And I promise to do everything in my power to rebuild trust in what makes this nation great, to heal old wounds rather than inflame them, and to make sure that democracy — that the people — always prevail.
May God bless the great state of Maryland and the United States of America.
With that, I would be happy to take questions.
(Question off mic).
Well, none of us really spoke to the Secretary of Defense, but we were repeatedly — general Gowen was repeatedly told by the National Guard at the national level that we did not have authorization.
I was actually on the phone with Leader Hoyer, who was pleading with us to send the Guard. He was yelling across the room to Schumer, who — and they were back and forth saying we do have the authorization. And I’m saying, I’m telling you, we do not have the authorization.
And so we had multiple times, we would run it up the flagpole, we’re ready. Don’t have authorization. Don’t have authorization.
Then I got a call an hour and a half later out of the blue, not from the Secretary of Defense, not through what would be normal channels. I get a number I don’t recognize on my phone. I pick it up anyway. Larry Hogan. And it’s like this Secretary of the Army, can you come as soon as possible. Yeah, we’ve been waiting. We’re ready.
I can’t tell you what was going on on the other end on the decision-making process. There’s been lots of speculation in the media about that, but I’m not privy what was going on inside the White House.
(Question off mic).
Yes, look, here’s where I am. I think there’s no question that America would be better off if the President would resign or be removed from office. Mike Pence, the Vice President of the United States, would conduct a peaceful transition of power over the next 13 days until President Biden is sworn in. The details, how that will happen or if that should happen, I don’t know, but I think Vice President Pence, who is a friend, and has been for a long time, I have tremendous respect for, I think he did the right thing, stood up for the rule of law, stood up for the constitution. There’s speculation that he was involved in finally making the decision about the National Guard. I don’t know. But we need leadership right now, and we need to stop all of this craziness.
(Question off mic).
So we got 500 members of the National Guard right now. We have 200 Maryland State Police and other allied agencies, but they’re actually just outside the city now. They finished their mission last night successfully, and they’re communicating, still mobilized and still ready to provide whatever assistance that the metropolitan police or national police request. We’re waiting for the next mission. They’re called up and mobilized but not taking direct action right now as we speak.
(Question off mic).
It’s hard to say. There is time to ramp up. So in discussions with General Gowen, the National Guard, you have to — they have to get ready. So my decision, along with our security team and the General, was well I don’t want to wait to get the authorization and then get people ready. So I’m going to authorize them, so you call them, call them up, get them mobilized. And then we’ll be closer to being in the city when we get the call.
It took a little longer, but we were the first ones to arrive. Maryland was the very first Guard to show up.
(Question off mic).
We protected the U.S. Capitol.
(Question off mic).
And the Library of Congress.
(Question off mic).
No. We still have the Guard doing — we have different teams of people. So it’s ironic, but we’ve been focused like a laser on the vaccine. Today we crossed 100,000 vaccines. We had another team of Guard deployed into PG County to assist them with their vaccines, because yesterday we were in Charles County. So we’re still utilizing the Guard for other missions, but this was a different group of Guard that we had to send out to help protect the nation’s capital.
(Question off mic).
There’s been ongoing discussions with all the federal agencies and all of our state agencies for a long time about the inauguration. We’re always involved in that. But this particular mission yesterday, you know, it just seemed to be a little dysfunctional.
I can’t explain, I don’t know, I don’t think any of our team knows exactly why the U.S. Capitol was not protected and why this treacherous mob was able to break through. But all I can tell you is what we did immediately to try to help stop the situation.
SPEAKER: Last question.
(Question off mic).
GOVERNOR HOGAN: Well, I know that our entire team and every agency is talking to federal agencies and has been for months and months as we do every inauguration. I’m sure everyone is concerned how to do it safely. I haven’t personally been involved in the discussions over the past day or so on inaugural planning but I know they’re continuing to proceed and trying to make sure they can do it in a safe way. It’s one of the reasons why we have, in addition to us, I think we have five other states, National Guard, the 6,000 Guard members are now in the city and all planning to be available through the inauguration.
(Question off mic).
Sure. Yeah, we actually had hoped to be focused on that today. It was going to be about some of our legislative priorities, and of course we got completely distracted on more important things.
But next week I think we’ll be announcing — our priorities for the session are pretty simple: We’re focused on the response to the virus and the recovery of our economy. And we had a great, productive discussion yesterday, before all of this happened, with the Speaker and Senate President to talk about, I think we all share the same desire, that the most important priorities are the struggling Marylanders, struggling businesses, helping people get the assistance they need, providing more economic relief, and continuing to fight the virus.
So that’s what we’ll be focused on and we’ll likely have multiple announcements next week to talk about it.
Thank you.
Yesterday our nation’s capital, the seat of our federal government and the heart of our American democracy, came under siege in a heinous and violent assault. While we are all still taking stock of what happened and why it happened, I want to provide a situational update on the state of Maryland’s response yesterday and the additional actions we have taken today.
I was in the middle of a videoconference yesterday afternoon with the Japanese ambassador to the United States when my Chief of Staff came in to inform me that the U.S. Capitol was under attack. I immediately excused myself from that videoconference and convened an emergency meeting immediately of our entire unified command team, including General Gowen, Colonel Jones, our senior staff, our Homeland Security adviser, and leaders of the Maryland State Police and the Maryland National Guard.
We immediately offered support to the District of Columbia, which submitted a direct request for law enforcement support through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact. I directed Colonel Jones to immediately mobilize our entire mobile field force of 200 specially trained Maryland State Police troopers to provide security for our nation’s capital. I also instructed General Gowen to immediately call up our initial response force of the Maryland National Guard.
Right in the middle of that meeting with our security team, I got a phone call from House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, who was calling me saying that he and Speaker Pelosi and Senator Schumer were all together in an undisclosed bunker — they had been spirited off to some undisclosed location — that the U.S. Capitol Police was overwhelmed, that there was no federal law enforcement presence, and that the leaders of Congress were pleading with me as the Governor of Maryland for assistance from Maryland’s National Guard and state police.
I informed Speaker Hoyer and the other leaders that a force of specially trained riot police equipped to respond to civil disturbances as well as members of allied and local law enforcement agencies were already en route to the Capitol. I also told them that I authorized the mobilization of the Maryland National Guard and that I was ready, willing, and able to immediately deploy them to the Capitol. However, we were repeatedly denied approval to do so. Under federal law, the mayor of the District of Columbia does not have authority over the National Guard. We must receive approval from the Secretary of Defense before we’re able to send our Maryland National Guard across the border into the federal city, into the District of Columbia. So we had a little back and forth, trying to get that authorization. In the meantime, we did not hesitate to continue to mobilize and get ready so that if and when we finally got that approval, we could immediately move.
Approximately an hour and a half later, I got a call on my cell phone from the Secretary of the Army, Ryan McCarthy, who gave us the authority that we needed to be able to move in to the city.
The initial contingent of Maryland National Guard members were the first to arrive in Washington from out of state.
I just got back from the D.C. armory, where I had a chance to meet with and thank some of the members of the National Guard for their service on this important mission to protect our nation’s capital. I thanked them for their service, and I told them that this assault on our democracy cannot stand.
I just want to assure all Americans that the state of Maryland will do anything and everything we possibly can to continue to secure the core of our nation’s capital and to ensure the peaceful transition of power.
Today we are extending the Maryland National Guard’s mission in Washington, D.C., through the inauguration and the end of the month. As part of a coordinated effort with federal and local law enforcement, the Maryland State Police’s mobile field force team provided security support to restore the peace at the U.S. Capitol building last night, and also assisted the metropolitan police throughout the night with the enforcement of curfew violations.
Maryland State Police commanders are in constant communication with D.C. law enforcement officials, and we have assured them that we will continue to provide any further assistance that they require.
I spoke to Mayor Bowser last night and offered her Maryland’s full support in the days and the weeks ahead.
In addition, Maryland State Police as well as the Maryland Capitol Police, some of which you see around here, have increased security around the Maryland State House complex. There have been a number of incidents at state capitals and governors’ mansions across the country.
It is somewhat fitting that we are addressing this shameful attack on our democracy from this historic State House, which is the very first peacetime capital of the United States. After all, it was right here that the peaceful transition of power was born 236 years ago after leading the colonies to victory in the Revolutionary War. General Washington resigned his commission as Commander in Chief of the continental army right here, right there, in our old Senate chamber. At the time, the idea that a military leader would voluntarily transfer power to the people’s representatives was virtually unthinkable and was without precedent in human history. But this selfless act secured our nation’s future as a democratic republic and as the leader of the free world.
Generations of Americans have sacrificed their lives, their fortunes and sacred honor so that the miracle of self-government and the orderly transition of power could become commonplace.
Over the last two months, this sacred tradition has come under attack from our own President, who has chosen to fan the flames of hate and mislead millions of voters through lies and conspiracy theories rather than face the reality of his own defeat.
I grew up in the shadow of the United States Capitol. I proudly stood by my father’s side at age 12 on the floor of the House chamber as we both took the oath of office, an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. It’s clear to me that President Trump has abandoned this sacred oath. What we saw in the nation’s capital was not just an attack on the people’s representatives or historic buildings and our law enforcement. It was an attack on the rule of law, the foundations of self-government, and who we are as Americans. The mob may have shattered glass, but they did not and they will not shatter our democracy.
From governors and secretaries of state and the judiciary and the Congress, our institutions have held firm in the face of this attempted insurrection, but we remain at a fragile moment, and each of us, especially those who hold elected office, have a choice to make. We can show those who feel forgotten that we can actually deliver solutions to the serious problems that face us, or we can continue to perpetuate this toxic politics, rabid tribalism, and hatred. We can either face the truth or be destroyed by lies. We can either descend into chaos and rancor or we can rise above and meet this test with real courage and patriotism.
I could never fathom a day like yesterday in America. But I will not stand for it, and neither should any American. I think I speak for many Americans when I say: Enough is enough. Enough of the lies. Enough of the hate. Enough of the total dysfunction. Just enough.
And I promise to do everything in my power to rebuild trust in what makes this nation great, to heal old wounds rather than inflame them, and to make sure that democracy — that the people — always prevail.
May God bless the great state of Maryland and the United States of America.
With that, I would be happy to take questions.
(Question off mic).
Well, none of us really spoke to the Secretary of Defense, but we were repeatedly — general Gowen was repeatedly told by the National Guard at the national level that we did not have authorization.
I was actually on the phone with Leader Hoyer, who was pleading with us to send the Guard. He was yelling across the room to Schumer, who — and they were back and forth saying we do have the authorization. And I’m saying, I’m telling you, we do not have the authorization.
And so we had multiple times, we would run it up the flagpole, we’re ready. Don’t have authorization. Don’t have authorization.
Then I got a call an hour and a half later out of the blue, not from the Secretary of Defense, not through what would be normal channels. I get a number I don’t recognize on my phone. I pick it up anyway. Larry Hogan. And it’s like this Secretary of the Army, can you come as soon as possible. Yeah, we’ve been waiting. We’re ready.
I can’t tell you what was going on on the other end on the decision-making process. There’s been lots of speculation in the media about that, but I’m not privy what was going on inside the White House.
(Question off mic).
Yes, look, here’s where I am. I think there’s no question that America would be better off if the President would resign or be removed from office. Mike Pence, the Vice President of the United States, would conduct a peaceful transition of power over the next 13 days until President Biden is sworn in. The details, how that will happen or if that should happen, I don’t know, but I think Vice President Pence, who is a friend, and has been for a long time, I have tremendous respect for, I think he did the right thing, stood up for the rule of law, stood up for the constitution. There’s speculation that he was involved in finally making the decision about the National Guard. I don’t know. But we need leadership right now, and we need to stop all of this craziness.
(Question off mic).
So we got 500 members of the National Guard right now. We have 200 Maryland State Police and other allied agencies, but they’re actually just outside the city now. They finished their mission last night successfully, and they’re communicating, still mobilized and still ready to provide whatever assistance that the metropolitan police or national police request. We’re waiting for the next mission. They’re called up and mobilized but not taking direct action right now as we speak.
(Question off mic).
It’s hard to say. There is time to ramp up. So in discussions with General Gowen, the National Guard, you have to — they have to get ready. So my decision, along with our security team and the General, was well I don’t want to wait to get the authorization and then get people ready. So I’m going to authorize them, so you call them, call them up, get them mobilized. And then we’ll be closer to being in the city when we get the call.
It took a little longer, but we were the first ones to arrive. Maryland was the very first Guard to show up.
(Question off mic).
We protected the U.S. Capitol.
(Question off mic).
And the Library of Congress.
(Question off mic).
No. We still have the Guard doing — we have different teams of people. So it’s ironic, but we’ve been focused like a laser on the vaccine. Today we crossed 100,000 vaccines. We had another team of Guard deployed into PG County to assist them with their vaccines, because yesterday we were in Charles County. So we’re still utilizing the Guard for other missions, but this was a different group of Guard that we had to send out to help protect the nation’s capital.
(Question off mic).
There’s been ongoing discussions with all the federal agencies and all of our state agencies for a long time about the inauguration. We’re always involved in that. But this particular mission yesterday, you know, it just seemed to be a little dysfunctional.
I can’t explain, I don’t know, I don’t think any of our team knows exactly why the U.S. Capitol was not protected and why this treacherous mob was able to break through. But all I can tell you is what we did immediately to try to help stop the situation.
SPEAKER: Last question.
(Question off mic).
GOVERNOR HOGAN: Well, I know that our entire team and every agency is talking to federal agencies and has been for months and months as we do every inauguration. I’m sure everyone is concerned how to do it safely. I haven’t personally been involved in the discussions over the past day or so on inaugural planning but I know they’re continuing to proceed and trying to make sure they can do it in a safe way. It’s one of the reasons why we have, in addition to us, I think we have five other states, National Guard, the 6,000 Guard members are now in the city and all planning to be available through the inauguration.
(Question off mic).
Sure. Yeah, we actually had hoped to be focused on that today. It was going to be about some of our legislative priorities, and of course we got completely distracted on more important things.
But next week I think we’ll be announcing — our priorities for the session are pretty simple: We’re focused on the response to the virus and the recovery of our economy. And we had a great, productive discussion yesterday, before all of this happened, with the Speaker and Senate President to talk about, I think we all share the same desire, that the most important priorities are the struggling Marylanders, struggling businesses, helping people get the assistance they need, providing more economic relief, and continuing to fight the virus.
So that’s what we’ll be focused on and we’ll likely have multiple announcements next week to talk about it.
Thank you.