Former Defense Secretary Says Jan. 6 Committee Issued ‘Latent Threat’ to Keep Quiet

A former Trump secretary of protection revealed that he was pressured by the Home Jan. 6 Choose Committee into staying silent on claims that then-President Donald Trump approved the deployment of Nationwide Guard troops earlier than the breach on the U.S. Capitol.

Talking to the Day by day Mail on Saturday, former appearing Secretary of Protection Chris Miller, who was solely on the job for about two months, stated that members of the Democratic-led panel used “aggressive” ways after he spoke to a number of media retailers concerning the Trump authorization. The ultimate report from the Jan. 6 subcommittee, which was dissolved after the present Congress took over, claimed that he didn’t achieve this.

In 2022, Mr. Miller appeared on a Fox Information section together with former Trump nationwide safety official Kash Patel in an interview that he stated “hit a nerve.”

“It was extra that latent menace of: ‘If you wish to preserve occurring TV, we’re gonna drag you in right here once more for extra hours of listening to testimony.’ In order that was the character of that complete factor. It was the latent menace of the federal government persevering with to intrude into my life.”

The previous protection secretary added that he didn’t have the “assets to proceed the battle” with the Jan. 6 committee and didn’t need to face any extra depositions. As a substitute, he stored to himself and didn’t focus on how the panel allegedly focused him.

“I didn’t speak about it with anyone else due to the concern or the priority,” he advised the outlet. “I wasn’t speaking with anyone, as a result of I knew any interactions I had on it will end in me having to… acknowledge that I would been in communications with different folks. After which that simply kind of opens up a complete can of worms with the investigators that I simply didn’t need to do.”

In line with the previous secretary, “It was a lot simpler simply to not be concerned with anyone or speak to anyone about these items as a result of it was going to trigger battle and difficulties with the investigating staff.”

Mr. Miller added that it was clear that former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) was working the Jan. 6 panel despite the fact that she was one in every of solely two Republicans on the committee. He stated that he believed that Ms. Cheney, who was ousted from workplace throughout the 2022 Wyoming Republican main, was not proud of the “optics” of Mr. Miller showing on tv and going towards the panel’s anti-Trump narrative.

“I’m certain that Cheney was wanting on the optics and was like: ‘These persons are a critical menace to my narrative that she tried to ascertain,’” he stated.

Ms. Cheney and different members of the Jan. 6 panel will doubtless try to downplay his claims concerning the Nationwide Guard authorization, Mr. Miller stated, including that the subcommittee was partaking in “political theater.”

However his latest remarks contradicted earlier statements he made in 2022 when he advised the Jan. 6 panel that President Trump didn’t order the ten,000 Nationwide Guard troops earlier than Jan. 6.

“I used to be by no means given any route or order or knew of any plans of that nature,” Mr. Miller stated on the time, including: “There was no direct, there was no order from the President.”

The Epoch Instances contacted Ms. Cheney for touch upon Sunday. She hasn’t responded to his claims as of Sunday.

New Report Launched

The previous appearing secretary of protection’s claims come as Home Republicans launched a report this month claiming that the Jan. 6 panel stored a transcript hidden from the general public.

Anthony Ornato, who was the White Home deputy chief of employees throughout the breach, advised the committee that he overheard Mark Meadows, who was then chief of employees, on the cellphone with Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser. In line with the transcript, Mr. Meadows needed to make sure Ms. Bowser “had every part she wanted.”

Mr. Meadows “needed to know if she want[ed] any extra guardsmen,” Mr. Ornato testified, in keeping with the transcript. “And I bear in mind the quantity 10,000 developing of, ‘The president desires to just be sure you have sufficient.’ You recognize, ‘He’s prepared to ask for 10,000.’ I do not forget that quantity. Now that you simply stated it, it jogged my memory of it.”

However the committee stated in its remaining report that it “discovered no proof” supporting the concept President Trump ordered 10,000 Nationwide Guard troops to be prepared for Jan. 6.

“The previous J6 Choose Committee apparently withheld Mr. Ornato’s essential witness testimony from the American folks as a result of it contradicted their pre-determined narrative,” Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.), who launched the transcript, stated in a press release this month.

After the report was launched, Ms. Cheney wrote that individuals ought to learn the committee’s report, which included the 2022 Miller interview during which he denied President Trump ordered the troops.

Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.