WASHINGTON, DC - For unknown reasons, government and military officials refused an offer from then-President Donald Trump to deploy 10,000 National Guard troops to supplement the Capitol Police on January 6.
The so-called January 6 Select Committee conveniently glossed over that fact in determining that Trump had fomented an “insurrection” at the US Capitol on that date. Now, DC National Guard whistleblowers are set to testify to a Congressional committee affirming Trump’s contention, according to the Daily Mail.
The outlet reported that President Trump did want them deployed; however, the Army delayed telling them to mobilize. According to information exclusive to DailyMail.com, at least three officers are scheduled to testify before the House subcommittee to also claim the January 6 committee ignored their stories because they “didn’t fit their narrative.”
The hearing will show that Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller gave advance approval of D.C. National Guard deployment at the direction of Trump, the Mail reported.
According to an anonymous source familiar with the House Administration Committee’s Oversight Subcommittee hearing, the whistleblowers will testify that then-Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy delayed notice to D.C. National Guard Commander William Walker by at least two hours to deploy the Guard to the US Capitol.
The whistleblowers said the January 6 committee was not interested in getting to the bottom of the alleged breakdown in communication and the need to focus on improving military preparedness for future events. Tather, they were interested in laying blame for the Capitol siege on Trump.
The whistleblowers were with Walker on the day of the Capitol siege and are to explain they were on buses in full tactical gear for hours waiting for word from the Army to deploy.
While McCarthy has previously testified under oath that he did, in fact, give a timely order for the deployment of the Guard, Walker’s troops claim they found out about the mobilization during a press conference, which caused a delay of nearly three and one-half hours for forces to arrive at the Capitol.
It is speculated that McCarthy was looking for a position in the incoming Biden administration and didn’t want to give the impression that the Army, under his direction, was trying to “interfere” or “inhibit certification” of the 2020 presidential election.
The Wednesday, April 17 hearing, titled “Three Years Later: D.C. National Guard Whistleblowers Speak Out on January 6 Delay,” will investigate whether Trump was at fault for the delay in deploying the National Guard on that date.
The whistleblowers will also testify that the January 6 “select” committee refused to hear their testimony since it corroborated statements made by Trump and others in his inner circle that Trump did, in fact, authorize the National Guard days in advance of the Jan. 6 congressional vote to certify the 2020 election.
The House Oversight Committee is chaired by Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Georgia) and is looking into the activities of the January 6 committee that “investigated the January 6 siege."
Previous testimony has shown that the former president had authorized the National Guard to mobilize and deploy in Washington, D.C., for Jan. 6. Tony Ornato, who was in charge of Trump’s security detail on January 6, confirmed that statement in an interview.
While the highly partisan select committee was tasked with conducting an independent, bipartisan review of activities on January 6, the committee, appointed by then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was stacked with anti-Trump zealots, including the two Republicans on the committee, former Reps. Liz Cheney (R-Wyoming) and Adam Kinzinger (R-Illinois), only sought to “prove” President Trump’s complicity in what they referred to as an attempted “insurrection.” The Republican minority was not permitted by Pelosi to select Republicans for the committee.
Ornato’s interview showed the flaws inherent in the select committee’s investigation of Trump, whereby they tried to pin the chaos that occurred that day on Trump, whom they claimed refused to provide the National Guard to supplement law enforcement on the ground at the Capitol.
The Loudermilk committee seeks to ensure that security at the U.S. Capitol is nonpartisan in nature and that readiness is not impacted by partisan politics, the Mail wrote.
Former Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund and DC National Guard commander Maj. Gen. Walker have previously said that Army Lt. Gen. Walter Piatt (ret’d), Army Staff Director on January 6, either delayed or completely ignored Sund’s request for National Guard support and deployment.
For Piatt, it was all about optics.
“I don’t like the visual of the National Guard standing a police line with the Capitol in the background,” he was alleged to have said.
Piatt has testified under oath that he never said anything about optics, however, the National Guard whistleblowers are expected to debunk that testimony.
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