The\u00a0Committee on House Administration\u00a0has released transcripts confirming that former President\u00a0Donald Trump\u00a0explicitly ordered the Pentagon to secure the U.S. Capitol ahead of Jan. 6, 2021. These transcripts, conducted by the\u00a0Department of Defense\u00a0(DOD) inspector general\u2019s office, reveal that Trump gave clear directives to keep the protests around the Jan. 6 certification of the electoral vote peaceful, which were allegedly ignored by senior military leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Committee on House Administration\u2019s Subcommittee on Oversight Chairman Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) published the full transcripts, which include testimony from Gen.\u00a0Mark Milley, the then-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Milley confirmed that Trump pre-approved the use of National Guard troops or active-duty military to maintain peace in Washington, D.C., during a Jan. 3 meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A\u00a0press release<\/a>\u00a0from the Committee on House Administration shows that Trump gave senior Pentagon leadership directives, contradicting the conclusion in the IG\u2019s report regarding the Jan. 6, 2021\u00a0Capitol riot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPentagon leadership prioritized concerns of optics over their duty to protect lives,\u201d said Chairman Loudermilk. \u201cPresident Trump met with senior Pentagon leaders and directed them to ensure that any events on January 6, 2021 were safe. It is very concerning that these senior Pentagon officials ignored President Trump\u2019s guidance and misled Congressional leaders to believe they were doing their job when they were not. The DoD IG\u2019s report is fundamentally flawed. It does not draw conclusions from the interviews they conducted but pushes a narrative to keep their hands clean. We have many questions for them, and we will continue to dig until we are satisfied the American people know the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Click here or look below to see the key excerpts highlighted by the committee:<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n