OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Former Rep. Liz Cheney and other members of the controversial January 6 Committee established by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi hid evidence that exonerated former President Donald Trump when he claimed he pushed for 10,000 National Guard troops to be deployed around the U.S. Capitol Building, according to a document unearthed by The Federalist.
The outlet reported that “Cheney’s January 6 Committee suppressed evidence that President Donald Trump pushed for 10,000 National Guard troops to protect the nation’s capital,” adding that “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.”
The Federalist noted further that an initial transcript of an interview conducted by the committee contained precisely such evidence from a pivotal source. This interview, which Cheney attended and actively engaged in, was withheld from public release until this week.
The outlet noted further:
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 fail to present the interview accurately, but they also withheld the transcript from public scrutiny. Additionally, allies of the committee began disseminating negative stories and even conspiracy theories about Ornato before conducting follow-up interviews with him. Ornato, a career Secret Service agent, had been assigned to a security position at the White House, the outlet reported.
In the past, Cheney, a former GOP lawmaker from Wyoming, has regularly told skeptics of the committee’s investigation to visit the Government Publishing Office website that she said posted “transcripts, documents, exhibits & our meticulously sources 800+ page final report.” She says the website has provided “supporting documents” to claims she and other hyper-critics of the former president have made.
No surprise Trump doesn’t want you to see the J6 Committee evidence. Here’s the GPO website with transcripts, documents, exhibits & our meticulously sourced 800+ page final report. Also links to our hearings. Might be a good time to watch those again. https://t.co/HtqbmCCaCD
— Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney) August 18, 2023
“However, transcripts of fewer than half of the 1,000 interviews the committee claims it conducted are posted on that site. It is unclear how many of the hidden transcripts include exonerating information suppressed by the committee,” The Federalist reported.
The documents posted online merely support the narratives put out by the committee, not the truth behind events leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot, Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) said.
“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,” he told The Federalist.
“This is just one example of important information the former Select Committee hid from the public because it contradicted what they wanted the American people to believe,” Loudermilk added. “And this is exactly why my investigation is committed to uncovering all the facts, no matter the outcome.”
According to the unearthed document, Ornato also said that the Trump White House had no inkling that a riot would break out at the Capitol but rather had requested the troops over fears that left-wing groups like Antifa would show up to harass and fight with the president’s supporters who came to D.C. to hear him speak on that day.
“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,” The Federalist noted.
