Topic: Newsmax
A July 26 Newsmax article by Marisa Herman purported to offer "the truth" about Donald Trump's alleged order to deploy the National Guard before the Capitol riot:
If former President Donald Trump's word is not enough, an official Capitol Police timeline and Pentagon memo also back up his assertion that he authorized the use of the National Guard in the days before the Jan. 6 Capitol breach.
Trump and several of his aides have steadfastly maintained he offered to send at least 10,000 National Guard troops to Washington to aid in crowd control, but his overture was rejected by Congress and D.C. officials.
That version of events has been disputed by the House Jan. 6 select committee — composed entirely of Democrats and Republicans who have criticized Trump. That group has alleged Trump that ultimately instigated what it terms an "insurrection," and committee members argue there is no evidence Trump made such an authorization for National Guard troops, or that anyone stood in the way of an order if one was made.
Trump disputes leading any violent protests and points to a speech just before the Capitol breach at which he urged supporters to protest "peacefully and patriotically."
An official timeline of the events leading up to Jan. 6 that was constructed by the Capitol Police and the Pentagon provides key evidence Trump and his administration took steps to provide National Guard troops and sought to have a peaceful event, contrary to the House committee's claims.
Of course, Trump's word is "not enough" for anything, including this. Herman sought to describe Trump's actions as benignly as possible, claiming that a couple days before the riot, "Trump brought up the number of protesters expected on Jan. 6 and discussed making sure it was a safe event by providing a National Guard presence," which she followed with this:
A Vanity Fair reporter who followed [then-acting Defense Secretary Christopher] Miller in the last weeks of Trump's administration detailed the remark in a report published later. The reporter indicated the exchange took place Jan. 5, while the inspector general placed it on Jan. 3. After discussing Iran, the Vanity Fair report stated that the conversation suddenly "switched gears" when Trump asked Miller how many troops the Pentagon was planning to deploy on Jan. 6.
When Miller told the president they would supply any National Guard support that was requested, Trump replied: "You're going to need 10,000 people." Under the law, a president can authorize the use of the National Guard; however, local officials must request the National Guard for domestic deployment.
All of this is negated by the fact that there is no documented proof that Trump ever issued a formal request for National Guard troops that day. And the same day Herman's article came out, Miller's deposition to the House committee investigating the insurrection was released, in which he made it clear that Trump never formally ordered him to deploy National Guard troops. Herman also completely omitted the fact that for the first three hours as the riot unfolded, Trump did nothing at all -- and he certainly did not order any troops to be deployed.
Herman did not update her article to reflect these facts -- which puts the lie to her claim of offering "the truth."
