Thread by @DanLamothe

Ok -- made a bunch of calls on Katie Bo's big scoop for @DefenseOne here. Here are details I can confirm: 1/

https://twitter.com/KatieBoWill/status/1322297082682683394

First, it is accurate that the D.C. National Guard's initial investigation into the deployment of helicopters over D.C. in June found that proper authorization was not sought to use medical helicopters, marked with a cross, in non-medical missions. 2/

Blame for this was placed on Lt. Col. Jeffrey Wingblade, who oversaw aviation for the D.C. National Guard. 3/

Two defense officials familiar with the investigation said that it became clear that communication and command and control the night in question were not clear. 4/

The D.C. National Guard did not find any fault with the senior officer that Wingblade was communicating with that night, Brig. Gen. Robert Ryan. The Defense Inspector General's office may. The watchdog is scrutinizing who else had a role in poor communication, oversight, etc. 5/

The defense officials said that Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy, who was delegated control of the National Guard op by the Trump administration in a role akin to what a governor would have in a state, approved the general use of helicopters amid the unrest. 6/

But McCarthy did not approve the tactics in question either, the defense officials said. Those decisions apparently came from within the D.C. National Guard. 7/

Those are the highlights for now from me -- there is *still* no sense when the DOD IG's findings will be released, or the sum total reasons why they are held up. There's an election on Tuesday, obviously. Pentagon has denied its related, but ... yeah. 8/

Kudos to @KatieBoWill for a monster scoop and torching my Friday night. Honestly, what was I going to do fun in a pandemic, anyway?

I wedged some of these new details I confirmed in this story we already had published tonight. Dan out. 9/9

washingtonpost.com/national-secur…