Army Officer Accuses Officials of Retaliation Over Jan. 6 Criticism

Col. Earl Matthews alleges he was denied promotion due to his criticism of senior Army officers' handling of the Capitol riot.

Col. Earl Matthews, a former top lawyer for the D.C. National Guard, has accused Army officials of retaliating against him for asserting to Congress that two top Army officers lied about why deployment of the Guard was delayed during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.
Matthews alleges that he was denied advancement by military officials who were unhappy with his memorandum to lawmakers, in which he criticized two senior Army officers, Gen. Charles Flynn and Lt. Gen. Walter Piatt, for not acting more quickly during the riot.
Matthews' allegation was detailed in a 37-page whistleblower retaliation complaint he sent weeks ago to the Defense Department inspector general. His lawyers said the complaint was protected communication sent to Congress and that under law, officials for the Army are prevented from acts of reprisal against him.
The complaint also claims that Matthews' recommendation for a promotion “displeased several senior officers within the Pentagon and the Office of the Chief of the Army Reserve.”
Matthews is asking that the inspector general recommend he be slated for assignment to brigadier general and that those who retaliated against him be reprimanded and punished.