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Letter: Bureaucracy and optics loomed large at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6

FILE - In this Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021 file photo, supporters of President Donald Trump, including Jacob Chansley, right with fur hat, are confronted by U.S. Capitol Police officers outside the Senate Chamber inside the Capitol in Washington. Congress is set to hear from former security officials about what went wrong at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. That's when when a violent mob laid siege to the Capitol and interrupted the counting of electoral votes. Three of the four testifying Tuesday resigned under pressure immediately after the attack, including the former head of the Capitol Police. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

FILE - In this Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021 file photo, supporters of President Donald Trump, including Jacob Chansley, right with fur hat, are confronted by U.S. Capitol Police officers outside the Senate Chamber inside the Capitol in Washington. Congress is set to hear from former security officials about what went wrong at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. That's when when a violent mob laid siege to the Capitol and interrupted the counting of electoral votes. Three of the four testifying Tuesday resigned under pressure immediately after the attack, including the former head of the Capitol Police. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

The current congressional hearings on the Jan. 6th debacle have been disturbingly fascinating.

One of the most appalling issues is the fact that the request to deploy the National Guard was made at 1:49 p.m. by the U.S. Capitol Police but for a variety of reasons the Guard was not deployed until three hours later. It was apparent that part of the issue was a bureaucratic one: Approval had to be obtained from the secretaries of the Army and Defense.

The rationale about the three hour gap remains to be explained. One apparent reason may be an issue of “optics.”

It would have not looked good for the then-President Trump to have the military deployed at the U.S. Capitol.

Louis Borgenicht, Salt Lake City

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By Louis Borgenicht | The Public Forum