The Stalinist Jan. 6 committee rages on.
During Donald Trump’s first two impeachments, his supporters cross-examined witnesses and provided exculpatory evidence. But the recent proceedings of the House special committee investigating the Capitol riot don’t try to be fair to Trump or even curious about his side of the story.
Instead, these proceedings are designed to blame Trump for a supposed coup and kneecap him before 2024.
Now, The Washington Post reports, the Justice Department has launched a criminal probe regarding Trump’s role in the chaos of Jan. 6, 2021, and, more broadly, his refusal to roll over and play dead amid widespread doubts about the integrity of the November 2020 general election.
Totally ignored is the thoroughly documented fact that Trump authorized up to 20,000 National Guard troops to keep Washington tranquil on Jan. 6. Doing so before his alleged putsch would be as self-torpedoing as a jewel thief who alerted the police while walking to the Smithsonian to swipe the Hope Diamond.
Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., told Fox News Channel’s Bret Baier that Trump “never issued any order to deploy the National Guard to protect the Capitol.” Cheney, queen of the Never Trumpers, is playing word games.
Such an “order” would have violated federal law (18 U.S. Code § 1385). The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 bars the U.S. armed forces from civilian law enforcement. The president may authorize National Guard troops, but governors (or D.C.’s mayor) must request them before the troops roll.
“DJT authorized the use of the military to support local and federal law enforcement on 6 Jan.,” then-acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller told me, referring to Trump. “He directed that I provide whatever support was requested. Absolutely true statement.”
According to Miller, Trump added: “You’ll need 10 to 20,000,” Miller continued, “He then reiterated that I should provide any military support requested.”
“10-20k troops were authorized for use around the country in the Oval Office prior to Jan. 6. Hard fact,” then-Pentagon chief of staff Kash Patel told me in an email. He added: “I was there with SECDEF [the defense secretary], Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and others.”
Patel added: “DoD spoke to Capitol Police (who report to Nancy Pelosi) before Jan. 6 multiple times, and they repeatedly rejected any National Guard assistance, as did D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.”
Official records back Miller and Patel.
—Referring to Miller and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, Pentagon timelines state that on Jan. 3 at 5:30 p.m.: “A/SD and CJCS meet with the President. President concurs in activation of the DCNG to support law enforcement.”
—“Later that afternoon Mr. Miller and Gen. Milley met with President Trump, who concurred in the activation of DCNG to support law enforcement,” reads page 77 of the Senate Staff Report on Jan 6.
“He was looking at the broad threats against the United States and he brought this up on his own,” Miller told the Epoch Times. “We did not bring it up.”
—Meanwhile, Speaker Pelosi, D-Calif., rejected Trump’s troop offer. U.S. Capitol Police’s official timeline says the Pentagon asked Jan. 2 whether “USCP [Capitol Police] is considering a request for National Guard soldiers for Jan. 6, 2021, event.” The next day, Deputy Chief Sean Gallagher replied that “a request for National Guard support is not forthcoming at this time after consultation with COP [Capitol Police Chief Steven] Sund.”
For her part, Bowser fretted that National Guardsmen might stir “confusion among residents and visitors.” So, the mayor blocked them from the District of Columbia. Bowser wrote the Pentagon and Justice Department on Jan. 5:
To be clear, the District of Columbia is not requesting other federal law enforcement personnel and discourages any additional deployment without immediate notification to, and consultation with, MPD [the Metropolitan Police Department] if such plans are underway.
Democrats want desperately to keep Americans unaware of this fact:
The rioters would have been hindered or halted if the National Guard troops authorized by Trump were in position. Unfortunately, Pelosi and Bowser wanted the National Guardsmen to stand down.
So, they did.
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