A recent report has unveiled that the Jan. 6 Committee, led by former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, concealed evidence indicating that President Donald Trump had advocated for the deployment of 10,000 National Guard troops to safeguard the nation’s capital on the infamous day in 2021.
As per a transcript previously undisclosed and now obtained by the Federalist, it was falsely asserted by Cheney and her committee that they possessed ‘no evidence’ supporting claims from Trump officials that the White House had expressed its wish for 10,000 National Guard troops.
The truth is, an early interview transcribed by the committee contained exactly this evidence from a crucial source. This interview, attended and personally participated in by Cheney herself, was kept hidden from public view until now.”
The report discloses that on Jan. 28, 2022, Deputy Chief of Staff Anthony Ornato was interviewed by the committee. During this interaction, he informed Cheney and investigators that he had overheard White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows urging Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to request as many National Guard troops as she required to secure the city.
Ornato testified that Trump had specifically stated that 10,000 troops should be deployed to maintain peace at the protests planned for Jan. 6, 2021.
He also expressed that the White House was frustrated with Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller’s slow deployment of assistance on the chaotic afternoon of Jan. 6.
The Federalist reports that “the committee did not accurately characterize the interview and suppressed the transcript from public review.”
“Furthermore, allies of the committee started publishing critical stories and even conspiracy theories about Ornato ahead of follow-up interviews with him. Ornato was a career Secret Service official who had been detailed to the security position in the White House.”
Cheney has been promoting the Government Publishing Office website where she claims “transcripts, documents, exhibits & our meticulously sourced 800+ page final report” have been posted.
The site features “supporting documents” to back the claims made by Cheney and other anti-Trumpers.
However, transcripts of fewer than half of the alleged 1,000 committee interviews are present on that site.
The Federalist pointed out that it remains unclear exactly “how many of the hidden transcripts include exonerating information suppressed by the committee.”
“The former J6 Select Committee apparently withheld Mr. Ornato’s critical witness testimony from the American people because it contradicted their pre-determined narrative,” stated U.S. Rep. Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., chairman of the House Administration’s Subcommittee on Oversight.
“Mr. Ornato’s testimony proves … President Trump did in fact offer 10,000 National Guard troops to secure the U.S. Capitol, which was turned down.”
“This is just one example of important information the former Select Committee hid from the public because it contradicted what they wanted the American people to believe,” Loudermilk said.
“And this is exactly why my investigation is committed to uncovering all the facts, no matter the outcome.”