The two Trump officials who ran the Pentagon and the Department of Justice at the time of the January 6th insurrection appeared before a congressional hearing on Wednesday that’s investigating the security failure at the U.S. Capitol.
Christopher C. Miller, Donald Trump’s acting defense secretary, took a defiant stance, but it’s what he didn’t say that’s raising eyebrows.
According to a written version of his testimony obtained by several outlets – including The Washington Post, CNN, and Politico – Miller was prepared to say, “I have been asked by the media whether I believe the President was responsible for the events that occurred on January 6. I stand by my prior observation that I personally believe his comments encouraged the protestors that day.”
But Miller skipped that section, drawing the ire of Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA).
Instead, Miller lashed out at “hysteria” and “irresponsible commentary” from the media in the days before the Capitol riots. He said the possibility of a military coup was overstated, but that perception made him reluctant to deploy federal resources in advance of January 6th. “I agreed only to deploy our soldiers in areas away from the Capitol, avoiding amplifying the irresponsible narrative that your Armed Forces were somehow going to be co-opted in an effort to overturn the election,” he said.
CNN provides more highlights from his testimony:
When asked by Rep. Carolyn Maloney, a Democrat from New York, if former President Trump called him “to ensure the Capitol was being secured” Miller told lawmakers he did not speak with Trump because he had “all the authority” he needed to “fulfill [his] constitutional duties,” adding he didn’t speak with Trump at all that day.
Miller did say he spoke with former Vice President Mike Pence briefly, but disputed the idea that Pence told Miller to “clear the Capitol.”
“He provided insights based on his presence there and I notified him, or I informed him that by that point the District of Columbia National Guard was being fully mobilized,” he said.
Miller said criticism of his actions – particularly the claim that he waited too long to deploy troops after the Capitol was breached – “reflects inexperience with, or a lack of understanding of, the nature of military operations, or worse, that it is simply the result of politics.” He continued, in his opening statement:
This isn’t a video game, where you can move forces with the flick of a thumb or a movie that glosses over the logistical challenges and the time required to coordinate and synchronize with the multitude of other entities involved, or with complying with the important legal requirements involved in use of such forces.”
Miller said he “stand[s] behind every decision” he made on January 6th.
Former acting attorney general Jeffrey Rosen also appeared before lawmakers. He said the DOJ made adequate preparations for the January 6th insurrection, even though there was significant ambiguity about what would happen. He noted that more than 500 DOJ employees were sent to the Capitol on Jan. 6 to restore order.
Rosen also offered this critique, which is sure to upset the former president, “There was no evidence presented of widespread fraud of a sufficient scale to overturn the election.”
