Army officer alleges reprisal for his account of Capitol riot response

On January 11th, 2021, Peru Army Captain and Reservist Chris Scanlon alleged that he was being punished for his outspoken criticism of the military’s response to the January 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Scanlon was the first National Guard officer to discuss his experience in the chaotic aftermath.

Scanlon, who has served in the Army since 2001 and deployed to Iraq twice, says he was removed from his command position shortly after his account was first reported by The Washington Post. He has since been re-assigned to a desk position within the National Guard and has been denied approval for additional deployments.

Scanlon’s attorney, Michael LeBoeuf, said that the Reprisal Investigation Office of the Department of Defense is looking into Scanlon’s complaint and the matter is still under investigation. Scanlon has expressed his hope that the military’s response to the Capitol riots will be properly investigated and addmited to the Senate Armed Services Committee.