In a statement Wednesday (Jan. 6), acting U.S. Defense Secretary Christopher Miller said he discussed with Vice President Pence, Senate bipartisan leaders McConnell and Schumer, and House Speaker Pelosi the deployment of the National Guard to respond to the onslaught on Congress. Notably, he did not mention President Trump (Trump).
In a Defense Department statement Wednesday afternoon on the full activation of the National Guard in Washington, D.C., Miller said he and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley “just spoke separately with the vice president, as well as Speaker Pelosi, Leader McConnell, Senator Schumer and Congressman Hoyer, about the situation in the U.S. Congress. The situation in the U.S. Congress. We have fully activated the D.C. National Guard to assist federal and local law enforcement in dealing with this situation peacefully.”
The statement continued, “We are prepared to provide additional support, as necessary and appropriate, as requested by local authorities. Our people vow to defend the Constitution and our democratic form of government, and they will act accordingly.”
Multiple sources have alleged that the acting defense secretary confirmed that it was Vice President Pence, not President Trump, who authorized the deployment of the National Guard.
However, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany tweeted that afternoon that it was President Trump who made the decision.
She said, “At the direction of President Trump, the National Guard, along with the other federal protective services, is on its way (to Congress). We reiterate President Trump’s call to oppose violence and keep the peace.”
On Wednesday, hundreds of thousands of people marched to the Capitol carrying signs such as “Stop Vote Theft” after a big “Save America” rally in Washington, D.C., calling on federal lawmakers to stop the certification of electoral votes in six swing states.
However, that afternoon, shortly after Congress began its discussions, some protesters broke into the Capitol, and one protester from California was shot and killed by police without provocation.
President Trump first posted a video at 2:38 p.m. asking the crowd to remain peaceful and calling on them to disperse peacefully (and go home); at 3:13 p.m., he sent another tweet reiterating the need for the rally to “remain peaceful. Both tweets, however, were deleted by Twitter.
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