A former Donald Trump administration official has denied that the ex-president chose not to summon the National Guard during the January 6 insurrection.
Kash Patel, the former administration official, was present as a Trump witness on Wednesday for a potentially significant hearing taking place in Colorado. The trial will determine whether Mr Trump is eligible to run for the 2024 presidential ballot based on the 14th Amendment.
Mr Patel was the chief of staff to acting defence secretary Christopher Miller during the events of 6 January.
The former Trump administration official and right-wing activist denied allegations that the former president obstructed the authorisation of the National Guard’s deployment.
Mr Patel claimed that it was DC mayor Muriel Bowser who delayed calls for the National Guard days before the insurrection, reported The Hill.
“Mayor Bowser wrote a letter herself on approximately Jan 4. … declining further requests for National Guard services outside of the 346 National Guardsmen already authorised,” he said.
Mr Trump is said to have initially resisted sending in the National Guard to clear rioters who stormed the US Capitol.
Even though police on Capitol Hill were overwhelmed after they were stormed by the president’s supporters shortly after a speech he delivered, Mr Trump was unwilling to activate the National Guard, the New York Times said.
Former Vice President Mike Pence approved the order to deploy the guard, acting in conjunction with Pat Cipollone, the White House counsel, the newspaper said. The army activated 1,100 troops of the DC National Guard, an army official told the paper.
Mr Patel’s testimony, however, runs contrary to the findings made by the House January 6 committee as his boss Mr Miller had testified that no order was given to prepare a minimum of 10,000 National Guard troops.
He also said Mr Trump had authorised the deployment of 10,000 to 20,000 National Guard troops to support law enforcement. Mr Patel cited multiple meetings he had witnessed.
This claim, however, also contradicts findings by the Department of Defence published two years after the insurrection.
“President Trump had authority and responsibility to direct deployment of the National Guard in the District of Columbia, but never gave any order to deploy the National Guard on January 6th or on any other day,” said a Pentagon report.
“Nor did he instruct any Federal law enforcement agency to assist.”
During the hearing, Mr Patel was also grilled over his writings about the supposed “Deep State” conspiracy against the former president.
“You wrote another book called Government Gangsters, is that right?” an attorney said. “And Government Gangsters is about your view that there’s a cabal or Deep State out there that is trying to ruin our country.”
“Not my view in the book, it’s outlined further action,” replied Mr Patel.
“And you wrote the book about the Deep State, right?” asked the attorney, to which Mr Patel replied in the affirmative.
“Is this proceeding part of the Deep State?”
“No, it’s a law enforcement proceeding,” Mr Patel said.
“Am I part of the Deep State?” the attorney said.
“I don’t know, I don’t really know you,” the right-wing activist said.
“Is the judge part of the Deep State?” asked the attorney.
“I take the judge to be beyond reproach,” Mr Patel said.
“Frankly, sir, you think that all liberals or liberal leadership are evil, right?” asked the attorney.
“That’s, that’s outrageous,” Mr Patel replied.
“I worked more in the Department of Justice for deputy attorney general Sally Yates than I ever did in the Republican administration... I worked as a public defender for eight years executing due process. So if you wanna make that globalization, because the cameras are on, you can go right ahead.”
On Wednesday, a Colorado judge ruled Mr Trump was not permitted to dismiss the trial that will decide his eligibility to be listed on the 2024 Republican primary ballot in the state.
Meanwhile, Mr Trump’s attorney moved a plea before a federal judge asking her to halt “all proceedings” in a separate case in Washington accusing him of trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat.
Earlier, US federal prosecutors pushed back against Mr Trump’s attempt to have election conspiracy charges dismissed on the grounds that he enjoyed immunity for actions he took while in the White House.
