Trump wanted troops to protect his supporters at Jan. 6 rally
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[May 13, 2021]
By Jan Wolfe
(Reuters) -President Donald Trump wanted
National Guard troops in Washington to protect his supporters at a Jan.
6 rally that ended with them attacking the U.S. Capitol, leaving five
dead, Trump's former Pentagon chief testified on Wednesday.
Former Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller told a House of
Representatives panel that he spoke with Trump on Jan. 3, three days
before the now-former president's fiery speech that preceded the
violence and led to his second impeachment.
According to Miller's testimony, Trump asked during that meeting whether
the District of Columbia's mayor had requested National Guard troops for
Jan. 6, the day Congress was to ratify Joe Biden's presidential election
victory.
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Trump told Miller to "fill" the request, the former defense secretary
testified. Miller said Trump told him: "Do whatever is necessary to
protect demonstrators that were executing their constitutionally
protected rights."
Miller made the remarks during a contentious hearing held by the House
Oversight Committee, which is investigating security failures in the
days leading to and during the riot.
Representative Carolyn Maloney, the Democrat who chairs the committee,
demanded answers from Miller on why National Guard troops did not arrive
until hours after the building was overrun.
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![](../images/051321pics/news_L43.jpg)
House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney
(D-NY) presides during a House Oversight and Reform Committee
hearing titled “The Capitol Insurrection: Unexplained Delays and
Unanswered Questions,” regarding the on January 6 attack on the U.S.
Capitol, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U..S., May 12, 2021
REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/Pool
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Miller testified that the U.S. military was
deliberately restrained that day when Trump's rally turned into an
assault by hundreds of his followers that left five dead, including
a Capitol Police officer.
Miller testified that he was concerned in the days before Jan. 6
that sending National Guard troops to Washington would fan fears of
a military coup or that Trump advisers were advocating martial law.
(Reporting by Jan Wolfe; Additional reporting by David Shepardson;
Editing by Howard Goller and Jonathan Oatis)
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