A transcript obtained by The Federalist reveals that former Rep. Liz Cheney's January 6 Committee suppressed evidence suggesting that President Donald Trump advocated for 10,000 National Guard troops to safeguard the nation's capital.
Cheney and the committee asserted they lacked evidence to support claims made by Trump officials regarding the White House's request for 10,000 National Guard troops. However, an early transcribed interview conducted by the committee reportedly included such evidence from a significant source. This interview, which Cheney attended and actively participated in, remained undisclosed to the public until recently.
During Deputy Chief of Staff Anthony Ornato’s initial transcribed interview with the committee on January 28, 2022, he informed Liz Cheney and her investigators that he overheard White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows urging Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to request as many National Guard troops as necessary to safeguard the city.
Ornato also testified that President Trump suggested that 10,000 National Guard troops would be required to maintain peace during the public rallies and protests scheduled for January 6, 2021. Furthermore, Ornato described the White House's frustration with Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller's delayed deployment of assistance on the afternoon of January 6, 2021.
The committee not only inaccurately portrayed the interview but also withheld the transcript from public scrutiny. Additionally, allies of the committee began disseminating critical stories and even conspiracy theories about Ornato before subsequent interviews with him. Ornato, a career Secret Service official detailed to the White House security position, became the subject of scrutiny.
Cheney often directs skeptics of the investigation to the Government Publishing Office website, which she claims hosts “transcripts, documents, exhibits & our meticulously sourced 800+ page final report.” This website offers “supporting documents” to substantiate the claims made by Cheney and other critics of Trump.
However, transcripts of fewer than half of the 1,000 interviews purportedly conducted by the committee are available on that site. It remains uncertain how many of the undisclosed transcripts contain exonerating information that was suppressed by the committee.
Rep. Barry Loudermilk, chairman of the House Administration’s Subcommittee on Oversight, asserted that these documents serve to reinforce the committee’s narrative rather than provide an accurate depiction of the events leading up to January 6, 2021.
“The former J6 Select Committee apparently withheld Mr. Ornato’s critical witness testimony from the American people because it contradicted their pre-determined narrative. Mr. Ornato’s testimony proves what Mr. Meadows has said all along: President Trump did, in fact, offer 10,000 National Guard troops to secure the U.S. Capitol, which was turned down,” Loudermilk said.
His subcommittee is reviewing the work of the January 6 committee, which has faced allegations of other unethical behavior compromising accuracy, as well as collusion with other Democratic efforts to prosecute political opponents.
