# 350 Commandos were ready to storm the capitol and protect Pence on Jan 6 **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [January 3, 2022, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/350-commandos-were-ready-to-storm-the-capitol-and-protect-pence-on-jan-6/957144 "2022-01-03T15:43:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/350-commandos-were-ready-to-storm-the-capitol-and-protect-pence-on-jan-6/957144/1 "2022-01-03T15:43:27Z")
[Story here](https://www.newsweek.com/exclusive-secret-commandos-shoot-kill-authority-were-capitol-1661330) Maybe it’s just me, but this story sounds like bullshit. Maybe because it originated from Jeffrey Rosen(R), or maybe it’s because terrorists were allegedly within seconds of getting to Pence, but no heavily armed commandos appeared. Also, they were stationed 2 minutes’ helicopter flight away. Not sure what the actual plan was, but it would take like 25-30 Blackhawks to transport that many troops–where would they have landed? Personally, I think it’s more misdirection and smoke designed to derail/disrupt/delay/discredit the Jan 6 Commission. Anyone care to try and talk sense into me? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/350-commandos-were-ready-to-storm-the-capitol-and-protect-pence-on-jan-6/957144/2 "2022-01-03T15:55:43Z")
My suspicion is the exact opposite. I feel the Trump administration was planning on declaring martial law and using these “commandos” to seize important locations as the next stage in a coup d’etat after the rioters succeeded in destroying Congress and killing Pence. The claim would have been they were acting to “restore the government and protect the nation”. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/350-commandos-were-ready-to-storm-the-capitol-and-protect-pence-on-jan-6/957144/3 "2022-01-03T16:19:54Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > Maybe it’s just me, but this story sounds like bullshit. Maybe because it originated from Jeffrey Rosen(R), or maybe it’s because terrorists were allegedly within seconds of getting to Pence, but no heavily armed commandos appeared. Your understanding of this seems very different from what’s actually in the article. This was not one massive strike force intended to secure the Capitol. It was smaller teams with different roles, some of which ended up being deployed. They weren’t 2 minutes away via helicopter; they staged closer to the Capitol that day. Start with this graf from your source: > [@](#): > > On the morning of January 6, most of these forces staged closer to downtown Washington, particularly after intelligence was received indicating a possible threat to FBI headquarters building or the FBI’s Washington Field Office. FBI tactical teams arrived on Capitol Hill early in the day to assist in the collection of evidence at sites—including the Republican and Democrat party national headquarters—where explosive devices were found. FBI SWAT teams and snipers were deployed to secure nearby congressional office buildings. Other FBI agents provided selective security around the U.S. Capitol and protection to congressional members and staff. So as you can see, many different sub-teams of this force actually did deploy to their intended positions. As for Pence himself? > [@](#): > > A tactical team of the Hostage Rescue Team was one of the first external federal agencies to actually enter the Capitol after protestors breached the building. In addition to augmentation of emergency security assets, one team coordinated with the U.S. Capitol Police and Secret Service to provide additional safeguarding of Vice President Pence, who had been moved to the underground parking structure beneath the Capitol, from where he was supposed to evacuate. **But Pence refused to leave the building and stayed underground instead.** So, some of these teams actually did deploy. Some of them showed up to protect Pence, who declined to leave the Capitol with them. (There is reporting that Pence refused to leave with them because he didn’t trust them, but AFAIK nobody who was there is talking). To me, the big takeaway from this story is that: 1. someone in a position of power knew that shit was going to get real. 2. the intervention seemed to limit itself to collecting evidence, and “securing” Trump and Pence. Not the Capitol in its entirety. So the “strike force” was a real thing, and superficially they did what they claim they were supposed to do. And the same big question looms over this, and the DC National Guard as well… if they knew something was up, why not mobilize massive numbers to safeguard the Capitol specifically? I think this supports my own pet theory, which is that nobody ever expected or intended for the mob to breach the Capitol and kill Pence/Pelosi/whoever. The plan was for street thugs like the Proud Boys to draw a violent response from Antifa, Black Bloc, whoever. There would be riots and street battles. This chaos would create cover for Congressional Republicans to pull their sketchy stunt to offer “competing slates”, which would give Trump pretext to “forcibly respond to a national emergency about the election.” The plan failed because the violent leftists never appeared. So then we had a pro-Trump mob, whipped up into a froth by Trump himself. They had time on their hands, they had the attention of cameras. But they were unaware of any plan beyond “take back our country”. So they just did the obvious, desperate thing they came to do: bum-rush the Capitol, trash it, maybe do some assaults or even take some hostages. It should be emphasized - the Capitol rioters were not confused, they did exactly what they came to do. It went wrong because their plan wasn’t Trump’s plan. Trump wanted to redirect their energy to street battles to create the pretext for him seizing power. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/350-commandos-were-ready-to-storm-the-capitol-and-protect-pence-on-jan-6/957144/4 "2022-01-03T16:50:45Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > nobody ever expected or intended for the mob to breach the Capitol and kill Pence/Pelosi/whoever. How do the instances of Congress critters giving guided tours of the Capitol in advance to folks who turned out to be insurgent leaders fit into your theory? Coincidence? > [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > the Capitol rioters were not confused, they did exactly what they came to do This seems like a mixed message. On a side note, why would anyone expect “violent leftists” to be within striking range of the Capitol so that they could provide a violent response to trigger the grand plan? There was no reason for them to expect anything to be there for them to protest, and it takes time for responses to coagulate. Of course, this could be put down to the bottomless well of stupidity and incompetence that is the underpinning of RW plotting, but it seems pretty feckless even for them. “Something will happen, then we’ll move in” isn’t much of a plan. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/350-commandos-were-ready-to-storm-the-capitol-and-protect-pence-on-jan-6/957144/5 "2022-01-03T17:03:39Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > Personally, I think it’s more misdirection and smoke designed to derail/disrupt/delay/discredit the Jan 6 Commission. Anyone care to try and talk sense into me? I see the linked story is in _Newsweek_; they stopped being serious news and started leaning right about a decade ago. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/350-commandos-were-ready-to-storm-the-capitol-and-protect-pence-on-jan-6/957144/6 "2022-01-03T19:58:46Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > This was not one massive strike force intended to secure the Capitol. It was smaller teams with different roles, some of which ended up being deployed. Also note, the “350 commandoes” number comes from this: > The 350-strong Hostage Rescue Team was established in 1983 to be a national level counterterrorist unit, offering a “tactical” option—a military option—for the most extraordinary law enforcement situations within the United States. That’s the number of people in the whole unit. It’s unlikely they deployed the entire unit to Washington, leaving the entire rest of the US with no easily deployable forces. > [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > On a side note, why would anyone expect “violent leftists” to be within striking range of the Capitol so that they could provide a violent response to trigger the grand plan? Because a whole lot of these idiots actually believe their own propaganda. I’ve been saying this for a long time now - a lot of their behavior doesn’t make any sense at all, unless you assume they actually believe at least some of what they’re spouting. Sure, to us, it’s clearly nonsense, but to them, Antifa and BLM really are well-organized, multi-national terrorist organizations dedicated to destroying America. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/350-commandos-were-ready-to-storm-the-capitol-and-protect-pence-on-jan-6/957144/7 "2022-01-03T20:15:02Z")
Would that have worked? Declaring martial law and staying in power? Thank God that didn’t happen. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/350-commandos-were-ready-to-storm-the-capitol-and-protect-pence-on-jan-6/957144/8 "2022-01-03T20:26:06Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > How do the instances of Congress critters giving guided tours of the Capitol in advance to folks who turned out to be insurgent leaders fit into your theory? Coincidence? So… to reiterate, I think the mob and its organizers always planned to storm the Capitol. Someone told them to do that, but it was just a ruse to get them in front of the Capitol. That’s where someone like a Lauren Boebert comes in. Was she a pawn like the rest of them, or was she consciously setting up the ruse? I don’t know, but I know if I were planning a criminal conspiracy, I would keep idiots like Boebert as far as possible from the sensitive details. > [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > On a side note, why would anyone expect “violent leftists” to be within striking range of the Capitol so that they could provide a violent response to trigger the grand plan? [snip]… “Something will happen, then we’ll move in” isn’t much of a plan. Well… think of what Antifa is. Their only organizing principle is to meet right-wing force with left-wing force, and it’s pretty common for them to make an appearance in response to right-wing threats. That’s not spin, it’s simply what they claim to be. Consider also the fact that right-wingers see Antifa behind every bush and tree. Consider that they believe Antifa burned every American city in the summer of 2020 in response to social justice issues. You can see why Republicans might conclude that it would be easy to provoke some violent left-wing counter-demonstrations. Why wouldn’t they come out? Defending the electoral count from violent Trumpists ought to be like the Superbowl of anti-fascism. I personally am surprised they didn’t make any appearance, but I’m glad they didn’t. So long story short, I think that’s what was supposed to happen. Rioters threaten the Capitol, Antifa shows up to oppose them, and the resulting chaos makes it possible to sell a message of “we’re doing martial law because Antifa is trying to steal the election.” ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/350-commandos-were-ready-to-storm-the-capitol-and-protect-pence-on-jan-6/957144/9 "2022-01-03T21:42:05Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > It should be emphasized - the Capitol rioters were not confused, they did exactly what they came to do. It went wrong because their plan wasn’t Trump’s plan. Trump wanted to redirect their energy to street battles to create the pretext for him seizing power. I think you’re giving Trump WAY more credit than is actually due here. I’m of the opinion that the crowd did exactly what Trump thought they should do, and the only part that failed was that Pence and Congress were not killed, captured, or sufficiently cowed for anything to actually change. I’m leaning more toward extraordinary arrogance and incompetence on the part of Trump & co. rather than some sort of mastermind plan; this is the clown who sharpied-up a hurricane track in front of national media rather than be proven wrong. Cunning plans aren’t his forte. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/350-commandos-were-ready-to-storm-the-capitol-and-protect-pence-on-jan-6/957144/10 "2022-01-03T22:28:58Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I think you’re giving Trump WAY more credit than is actually due here. There’s really no credit due, it’s not an elaborate or clever plan. I think everybody agrees that the basic plan was to foment chaos to give Congress sufficient pressure/incentive/political cover to throw out the election, right? My theory is just that, but attempting to explain why it played out in such a stupid and ineffective way: it wasn’t the entire plan. This actually isn’t my theory, it’s something that was at least semi-credibly reported when the Fox newscaster texts were released. It was also an attempt to explain why they were blabbing about Antifa when it was obviously pro-Trump rioters: they’d been briefed to push Antifa violence. Antifa never materialized, but they had no alternate talking points, so they could only keep flogging the Antifa angle. Edited: found the source. [_A theory: How Trump’s Jan. 6 coup plan worked, how close it came, why it failed_](https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/trump-january-6-coup-plan-national-guard-20211216.html). Will Bunch, Philly Inquirer, 12/16/21. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/350-commandos-were-ready-to-storm-the-capitol-and-protect-pence-on-jan-6/957144/11 "2022-01-03T22:40:35Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > Consider also the fact that right-wingers see Antifa behind every bush and tree. Consider that they believe Antifa burned every American city in the summer of 2020 in response to social justice issues. You can see why Republicans might conclude that it would be easy to provoke some violent left-wing counter-demonstrations. And of course, that’s part of the “believing their own propaganda” I mentioned above. Antifa comes out to counter fascist protests _when they don’t expect anyone else to counter them._ So, yeah, places like the “Unite the Right” rally. Everyone knew the police weren’t going to do anything to stop that rally, so Antifa showed up. But there was no way the entire apparatus of the US government was just going to sit back and watch as a few thousand people stormed Congress, or even just rioted in the streets of Washington. You don’t need Antifa when the professionals are going to be there. Anyone with half a brain could have figured that out. Of course, Trump et all didn’t figure that out… ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2022, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/350-commandos-were-ready-to-storm-the-capitol-and-protect-pence-on-jan-6/957144/12 "2022-01-04T03:07:52Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > It was also an attempt to explain why they were blabbing about Antifa when it was obviously pro-Trump rioters: they’d been briefed to push Antifa violence. Antifa never materialized, but they had no alternate talking points, so they could only keep flogging the Antifa angle. I think a simpler explanation is that at the time when video of insurgents streaming over the walls was hitting the prime time airwaves, the conduct of the insurrectionists looked indefensible. So spin doctors went to the go to false flag narrative. Its not us who are doing these horrendous things its the violent left that we have been harping on for months. It was only later after some time had past and memories faded a bit, that they could switch to gaslighting mode claiming that the insurrectionists into patriotic Americans peacefully exercising their first amendment rights as they nonchalantly toured the Capitol. I took a quick look at the Free Republic board while the Jan 6th attacks were going on, the Anitfa false flag narrative was already in full swing. I doubt that any of the board members had had time to be briefed on anything. so it was most likely just a knee jerk reaction. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2022, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/350-commandos-were-ready-to-storm-the-capitol-and-protect-pence-on-jan-6/957144/13 "2022-01-04T09:30:03Z")
So there were some, um, unexpected posts in this thread. I think we should all get on the same page about this. Here’s Beau of the Fifth Column’s video on this: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/PecFLDrmya8/maxresdefault.jpg "Let's talk about newly disclosed information about the 6th....") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PecFLDrmya8) Note that he called the military involvement on his livestream about it. The guy knows what he’s talking about. I’m not sure where the idea comes from that the military or federal government were on the insurrectionists’ side. They were there because there was an attempted coup, in case things got much more out of hand—i.e. Congress et al. everyone didn’t make it out. They had a line that, once crossed, they would come in. Why do you think the Capitol police shot and killed that one woman? She crossed into the buffer while they were still getting Congresspeople out. Like Milley said, the military brass were ready to make sure there was no coup. They were ready to clear the building, if necessary. And, as Beau says, when they clear a building, the people don’t leave. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2022, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/350-commandos-were-ready-to-storm-the-capitol-and-protect-pence-on-jan-6/957144/14 "2022-01-04T13:13:56Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > So there were some, um, unexpected posts in this thread. I think we should all get on the same page about this. Here’s Beau of the Fifth Column’s video on this: I’m not watching a 7 minute YouTube video of a Duck Dynasty-looking gun nut. What’s the takeaway, and why should I believe “Beau of the Fifth Column?” ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2022, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/350-commandos-were-ready-to-storm-the-capitol-and-protect-pence-on-jan-6/957144/15 "2022-01-04T13:24:01Z")
Despite his appearance Beau is actually pretty thoughtful and coherent. And he’s certainly not of the “Duck Dynasty gun nut” ilk. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2022, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/350-commandos-were-ready-to-storm-the-capitol-and-protect-pence-on-jan-6/957144/16 "2022-01-04T17:50:13Z")
Completely agree. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2022, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/350-commandos-were-ready-to-storm-the-capitol-and-protect-pence-on-jan-6/957144/17 "2022-01-04T17:55:09Z")
Yeah, Beau is a perfect example of not judging a book by its cover. He’s basically the opposite of what you assume he’d be. ---
**Author:** ![MikeF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2022, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/350-commandos-were-ready-to-storm-the-capitol-and-protect-pence-on-jan-6/957144/18 "2022-01-04T17:57:24Z")
The takeaway is some believe that some number of military special operations types were a hair away from storming the capitol and killing everyone who got in their way in order to safeguard Pence, Congress and the American way. I don’t know anything about the Fifth Column but the guy in the video wasn’t a raving lunatic. I do question the whole idea though. It seems to me that type of operation requires planning, time and rehearsals. Planning would imply prior knowledge (unless there is already some sort of emergency plan already worked out to re-take the capitol). Of course a group of well-trained operators would have made short work of a largely unarmed insurrectionists if they were shooting them, as the bearded guy implied. He is also saying that Trumpers who believe that there are enough in the military/police ranks who would support an insurrection to make a difference are sadly mistaken. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2022, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/350-commandos-were-ready-to-storm-the-capitol-and-protect-pence-on-jan-6/957144/19 "2022-01-04T20:58:33Z")
> [@MikeF](#): > > He is also saying that Trumpers who believe that there are enough in the military/police ranks who would support an insurrection to make a difference are sadly mistaken. Oh, that is reassuring! Because I have spoken with some far-right nuts that think there are plenty of people “on their side” within the military. ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2022, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/350-commandos-were-ready-to-storm-the-capitol-and-protect-pence-on-jan-6/957144/20 "2022-01-04T21:29:20Z")
> [@MikeF](#): > > It seems to me that type of operation requires planning, time and rehearsals. Planning would imply prior knowledge (unless there is already some sort of emergency plan already worked out to re-take the capitol). Just a completely uninformed guess, but it seems likely that if there’s a military unit trained for protecting government officials during a cataclysmic event, “storming the Capitol and taking out all the bad guys with a minimum of good guy casualties” would be a scenario they actually prepare and train for. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/350-commandos-were-ready-to-storm-the-capitol-and-protect-pence-on-jan-6/957144.md?page=2)