Ex-'top lawyer' says Army retaliated against him for reporting Jan. 6 delay

A former "top lawyer" for the D.C. National Guard filed a Defense department complaint saying he faced retaliation after accusing two Army officers of lying about their Jan. 6. response, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

Col. Earl Matthews, the top lawyer for the D.C. Guard during the Capitol riot, said the actions taken against him when he complained of delays were "textbook whistle-blower retaliation," according to the report.

"I saw real wrongdoing,” Matthews said. “I love the United States Army. To me, this is about Army values.”

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From The New York Times: "At the center of this particular dispute is a still-simmering feud inside the military over who is to blame for the more than four-hour delay in deploying the National Guard as the rioters battled their way into the Capitol, assaulting dozens of police officers along the way and endangering members of Congress, their staffs and others working in the building."

Matthews accused the officials of being “absolute and unmitigated liars” in their testimony before Congress. He said soon after making the allegations he was retaliated against by being falsely accused of unprofessional behavior. He also said he was listed as "a person of concern who might try to disrupt a military conference in Virginia" and was escorted out of a hotel that was hosting the seminar.

Read the full report over at The New York Times.