I can’t say that this is surprising. Still, it provides another chance to take a swipe at former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), who The Federalist has busted for suppressing exculpatory evidence concerning the ongoing anti-Trump narrative that the former president orchestrated some violent coup on January 6. One bit of proof Cheney didn’t want to be widely publicized is the Trump administration’s security plans, which included 10,000 National Guard troops to protect Washington, DC. The city rejected it.
These revelations were gleaned from an interview with Deputy Chief of Staff Anthony Ornato, who heard conversations between White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and DC Mayor Muriel Bowser. Meadows wanted the city to request whatever they needed to keep the city secure. Cheney was reportedly present for these interviews. Mollie Hemingway has more:
NEW: Liz Cheney & the J6 Committee concealed evidence that President Trump offered to send 10,000 National Guard troops to protect the US Capitol
— KanekoaTheGreat (@KanekoaTheGreat) March 8, 2024
The offer was rejected by the DC Mayor.
Why conceal exonerating evidence, @Liz_Cheney?
Via @MZHemingway https://t.co/ZrTB2HOSGR
Cheney and her committee falsely claimed they had “no evidence” to support Trump officials’ claims the White House had communicated its desire for 10,000 National Guard troops. In fact, an early transcribed interview conducted by the committee included precisely that evidence from a key source. The interview, which Cheney attended and personally participated in, was suppressed from public release until now.
Deputy Chief of Staff Anthony Ornato’s first transcribed interview with the committee was conducted on January 28, 2022. In it, he told Cheney and her investigators that he overheard White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows push Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to request as many National Guard troops as she needed to protect the city.
He also testified President Trump had suggested 10,000 would be needed to keep the peace at the public rallies and protests scheduled for January 6, 2021. Ornato also described White House frustration with Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller’s slow deployment of assistance on the afternoon of January 6, 2021.
Not only did the committee not accurately characterize the interview, they suppressed the transcript from public review. On top of that, committee allies began 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.
[…]
Ornato said White House concerns about January 6 were related to fears that left-wing groups would clash with Trump protesters and that no one in the White House anticipated a riot at the Capitol. Antifa and other left-wing groups were planning protests for the same day. Left-wing groups had been involved in violent assaults on Trump supporters following public protests.
[…]
Bowser’s decision to decline help from the White House did not end the Trump team’s efforts to secure troops ahead of the protest. When the D.C. mayor declined Trump’s offer of 10,000 troops, Ornato said the White House requested a “quick reaction force” out of the Defense Department in case it was needed.
[…]
Once the Capitol was breached, the Trump White House pushed for immediate help from Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller and grew frustrated at the slow deployment of that help, according to the testimony.
“So then I remember the chief saying, ‘Hey, I’m calling secretary of defense to get that [quick reaction force] in here,” Ornato said. Later he said, “And then I remember the chief telling Miller, ‘Get them in here, get them in here to secure the Capitol now.'”
This anti-Trump circus has many twists and turns. Trump is a moron but so crafty he orchestrated a violent takeover of the Capitol to prevent the peaceful transition of power. He’s irresponsible with state secrets but is the greatest known threat to the republic. He wanted to foment a rebellion but requested 10,000 troops to secure the Capitol. He’s a fascist who willingly left office in January of 2021.
The Left needs to pick one narrative and stick with it. Trump gets the same illogical treatment liberals apply to most issues. The other one where they routinely crash into their own walls is gun control, where the consensus is that only police can be trusted with firearms. However, they're also the ones committing some covert genocide against people of color or something. Don’t think about it too long—you’ll get a migraine trying to make sense of it.
Cheney didn’t want to play this game—she just buried it. Cheney would later get buried by voters in her state who booted her for her anti-Trump antics.