Transcripts For CNNW CNN Newsroom With Poppy Harlow And Jim Sciutto 20210512

Didnt send u. S. Troops in to defend the capitol because he was worried about a quote, military coup. The other breaking news, moments ago, one of the few republicans in congress to speak out against former President Trumps continuing election lies has now been ousted from her leadership role. House republicans pushed out congresswoman liz cheney as the number three ranked member of gop leadership. According to a member in the room, as the vote happened, cheney was booed when she criticized the former president in her opening remarks. Afterwards cheney remained defiant after her colleagues endorsed a falsehood over truth. I will do everything i can to ensure that the former president never again gets anywhere near the oval office. We have seen the danger that he continues to provoke with his language. We have seen his lack of commitment and dedication to the constitution, and i think its very important that we make sure, whomever we elect, is somebody who will be faithful to the constitution. Keep in mind, the former number three in the house gop leadership saying that the party is not defending the constitution. Cnn chief Congressional Correspondent manu raju following developments on capitol hill. Manu, you had the vote here. The outcome of the vote was not unexpected, but the way the vote was conducted, no names, not even a number attached to the vote. Was gop leadership hiding behind this result . Reporter we expected the vote to happen overwhelmingly against her. This was a painful episode for a lot of members and they wanted this to be done quickly and liz cheney, recognizing that, didnt post to this have vote in a secret ballot. As a result, it happened within the blink of an eye, within 20 minutes. In february when she fended off a separate challenge, that happened behind closed door debate. She said she was not going to follow the path of the destructive lie that donald trump has chosen. Virginia fox, a North Carolina republican offered a motion to ougs oust her from leadership. After the meeting, adam k kinzinger publicly detailed how quick things happened inside the room. [ inaudible question ]. Basically its time to move on from her. He said we have to continue with this unity thing. Im all for unity. Truth cannot coexist with falsehoods. You cannot unify with that. The questions are who will replace her. All indications are it will be Elise Stefanik of new york. Shes allied herself very closely with the former president during his 2019 impeachment ever since and backed his efforts to overturn the electoral results. She also has been moving behind the scenes to store up the support. She has the backing of the former president as well as Top Republican leaders. Theres still pushback among some conservatives worried about her voting record. Right wing members will have a meeting with her tonight. Im told shes made clear to her conservative members that she will not buck the party on key votes. Shell toe the line on key votes. Manu, thank you very much. Now to the hearing about to begin on the insurrection, our whitney wild is with us this morning. Youve got three key witnesses testifying before the House Oversight committee. For our viewers, this is the first time well hear from all of them under oath. What do people need to know this is the not first time were hearing from metropolitan police chief contee. Weve heard from him in past testimonies. This is very critical because this is the first time were hearing from defense secretary Christopher Miller as well as former acting attorney general Jeffrey Rosen. Important for a number of reasons, not the least of which, they had a front row seat on the white houses thinks leading up to and on january 6th. Here is a quote from Christopher Miller i am unaware of any briefing or any other discussions the president may have had with other government officials or advisers regarding Law Enforcement preparations for january 6th. My recollection is that white house personnel including white House Counsel and chief of staff, but not the president , participated in some of the multiagency calls on january 6th convene ed to organize and coordinate the event at the capitol after the mob entered the Capitol Building. This is on its face a factfinding mission. They are trying to figure out in what way the thinking from the white house might have affected the preparations leading up to january 6th and the response. This is also happening on a tremendous day on capitol hill, of course. Minutes after House Republicans oust liz cheney for her calling out the big lie, they want to know what the allegations are about the white houses thinking and feeling on that day. So this is a tremendous day. Make no mistake, it could end up being highly partisan throughout this hearing, poppy and jim. Thanks, whitney. Joining us is Andrew Mccade former fbi and former Capitol Police chief as we wait for the hearing to begin, charles ramsey, former Philadelphia Police commissioner and former d. C. Police chief. We do know that Christopher Miller will testify about talking to the president the day before the insurrection briefly. Being in a meeting with the president for three days, but then not speaking with the president on the day of the insurrection. What would you ask him . Well, good morning. I think youve hit on the key issue, poppy. That is issues of leadership and command and control. Its almost unthinkable that the leader of our military services would have no conversations whatsoever with the commanderinchief as the capitol is under attack. I understand, very familiar with my experience helping to protect the capitol during numerous inaugurations and National Security special events. I know there are processes and procedures to go through to deploy the National Guard and military. This was an attack on the capitol. If this wasnt the time for that to happen quickly, i dont know what would have been. Im interested to hear what the former secretary has to say about that. Terrence gaynor, its an open question because we havent gotten straight answers about what the communications were between, first, the pentagon, the white house and others. What did the president know . What did they ask the president for, what did the white house say no to in terms of help and aid . How key is that question being answered in this hearing here . Will they give those answers . Thats an open question at this point. How central is that to the investigation . Its very important. Theres a lot of things we dont know. I applaud the various congressional committees having these attempts to get answered. Its really a haphazard way to do it. Having spent a long time in homicide in my earlier career, you would not conduct a factfinding investigation as theyre doing it. I dont think anybody is surprised that were not going to have the smoking gun talked about from the lips of these people. Chief contee will have a good sense terrence, sorry to jump in here. But i want to get to this hearing. Its just getting under way. We have live pictures of it. Lets listen in. Third, i will recognize members verbally, but members retain the right to seek recognition verbally in regular order. Members will be recognized in or if you want to be recognized outside of regular order, you may chus the chat function to send a request. You may send an email to the majority staff or you may inmute your mike to seek recognition. Well begin the hearing in just a moment when we are told whether they are ready to begin the live stream. Okay. That was Carolyn Maloney chairing this hearing. Well get back to it in just a moment. Charles ramsey, to you, there are so many answers hopefully that well get here in this hearing, i wonder what you think the most important thing is to get a consensus on, instead of fingerpointing but to get real claritity for the American People to protect against future violence. Can you hear me, commissioner ramsey . Oh, i didnt realize that was for me. Well, there were numerous brokedowns throughout january 6th. Its important to find out exactly what went wrong so you can fix it. Charles, sincerest apologies, hard to following these hearings. But the hearing is back on. Lets listen in. Since the civil war. It was harrowing and heartbreaking. We watched as the temple of our democracy, a building were as familiar with as our own homes was overrun by a mob bent on murdering the Vice President and members of congress. The moms goal was clear, they were trying to prevent the peaceful transfer of power to the newly elected president by halting the counting of electoral votes. This insurrection failed, but not before Police Officers and had to use deadly force to protect members of congress. Shots were fire near feet om the housfloor. Because of this horrific attack four prite citizens died, three Police Officers lost their lives. Had it not been for the heroic men and women of Law Enforcement who faced wn the mob, there would have been even more bloodshethat day. We know who provoked this attack. Thats why 17 house and Senate Republicans joined all Congressional Democrats in the bipartisan effort to impeach and con convt, and i quote, insiciting violence against the united states. To quote Senate Minority lead leader mitch mcconnell, quote, there is no question, none, that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the eventshat day, end quote. But the failur of january h go beyond the craven ls and provocations of one man. The federal government was unprepared for this insurrection even though it was planned in plan sight on social media for the world to see. And despite all the military and Law Enforcement resources our government can call upon in a cris, security collapsed in the face of the mob and reenforcements were delayed for urs as the capitol was overrun. It is our duty to understand what went wrong that day, to seek accountability and to take action to prevent this from ever happ happening. We are joined by the chief of department, Robert Contee. On january 6th, chief contee and his officers did not hitate to over 100 d. C. Police officers voluntarily rushed to the aid of the capitol. D. C. Police stood side by side with the Capitol Police and displayed tremendous heroic actions. Chief contee, we are in yo bt. From t Trump Administration ds who led key federal agencies on january 6th. Neither has publicly testified about their roles in these ents, and i appreciate their today. Gness to testify here forming acting gener Jeffrey Rosen led the department of justice which was reportedly signated as the lead federal agency for coordinating security in washington on january 6th. The potential for violence that day was clear. In december the new York Police Department warned the fbi that certain protesters viewed january 6th as an opportunity for violent revolt. Then again on january 5th, the fbi office in norfolk, virginia, warned extremists were discussing, quote, specific calls for violence against congress on january 6th, end quote. Including a message to, quote, go there readyorward, en que. The Justice Department and the fbi have a special dutto warn ofomestic rrorist threats. Yet its clear that despite all this intelligence, the federal government was not prepared. Today, more than four months later, were still in the dark about exactly what went wrong. Did the Trump Administration fail to adeqtely prepare for violence because it had a blind spot for right wing domestic terrorism . As the lead agency on jaary 6t why did the department the Justice Department fail to coordinate an effective and timely response to the attack on the capitol . We simply do not know. In part, that is because neither doj nor the fbi have produced a single piece of paper in response to the requests sent by six house committees including that one in march, not a single piece of paper, not a single document. This is completely unacceptable. I was hoping to have fbi director Christopher Wray here today to address the Unanswered Questions about the fbis actions. I sent h multiple intation and even reschedul this hearing twice,ut he declined to appear. However, i am pleased to announce that director wray has agreed to appear before this committee in june, and i look forward to his testimony then. Our final witness today is former acting secretary of defense Christopher Miller who led the department of defense on january 6th. When the capitol came under siege, the Capitol Police were badly outnumbered. The world looked to the department of defense to protect our government from attack. Yet dod did not authorize the deployment of d. C. National guard troops to the capitol until nearly four hours, four hours after local officials first pled for help. Even though we were under fullscale assault, dod hesitated until Vice President pence not President Trump gave the order to, quote, clear the capitol, end quote. Dods explanations of its own actions have failed to address critical questions. Why did military leaders place unusual restrictions on commanders on the ground . Mr. Miller says he first learned that the mob had entered the capitol between 1 00 p. M. And 1 30 p. M. So why did the Defense Department wait until after 5 00 p. M. Before sending the National Guard to the capitol . Todays hearing will not be the end of our investigation. This committee, along with other committees in the house, will continue to seek a full accounting of this attack. Even today our colleagues in the House Administration committee are asking tough questions of the Inspector General for the architect of the capitol. This oversight is essential, but we also need an independent Bipartisan Commission focused on investigating the root causes of this insurrection. The 9 11 commission has taught us that, even in our most difficult moments, we can come together as one and answer hard questions, as we did as a congress after 9 11. The 9 11 commission made dozens of recommendations to overhaul our nations security and intelligence operations, and congress followed through in a bipartisan way passing legislation to implement most of the commissions bipartisan proposals. We need that same determination, that same resolve and action today. This nation stands at a crossroads, and the path we choose will define american democracy for generations to come. We must reject President Trumps big lie and the violent insurrection it inspired. No member of congress, whether a freshman representative or house conference chair should face punishment for speaking the truth about what happened that day. As congresswoman cheney said last night, and i quote, remaining silent and ignoring the lie emboldens the liar. We must speak the truth. Our election was not stolen and america has not failed, end quote. It is time for the American People and this congress to look at the events of january 6th and say never again. I now recognized the distinguished ranking member, mr. Comer for an Opening Statement and i yield back. Thank you madam chair. What happened on january 6th at the u. S. Capitol is unaccepted. Those who committed crimes and violence must be held accountable. The Justice Department is actively working to do just that. As of april 16th, 410 defendants have been arrested. Their names, the charges and place of arrest are all listed on dojs website. The charges include assaulting, resisting or impeding officers or employees, some include a dangerous weapon, some charged with conspiracy, others charged with trespassing on federal property. The fbi continues to seek perpetrators. The fbis website is filled with pictures, 866 photos and videos of individuals being sought in kks with the events on january 6th. Less than a week after the attack, i joined ranking members rodney davis and john kecco in introducing a build to form a commission to valt the facts and attack. Tances related to the the commission would review lessons ned in ord to detect, prevent and respond to such kindsf attacks in the future. Instead of seeking to examine the facts in a bipartisan fashn, Speaker Pelosi and the democrats have piticized the january 6th tack. Until last week Speaker Pelosi refused to entertain an even split on the pan. For three months she dragged her feet and fled to build cons meanwhil theenate engaged in bipartisan constructe problem solving. Instead of looking at what we can control, the security the chairwoman maloney have wrongly targeted perceived Technology Companies for the role they may have played in this violence. Well, chairwoman maloney looke into this issu gueswhat . There was nothing there. Thats why you havent heard anything about i because there was thing there. If looking at the fact, its clear facebook, twitter and other platforms were used to organize this violence. The fbi and department of justice have laid out their roles clearly in their criminal complaints and indictments, but the democrats refuse to investigate those companies or even ask tough questions of them. I guess the democrats just dont want to bite the hand that feeds them. Additionally, democrats to continue deny tens of millns of americans who support President Trump and have legitimate questions about t integrity of t election. Exprsing conrn over Election Integrity is not a sitious act. Plenty of my democrat colleagues expressed concerns in past elections. What is wrong is when individuals ke to crime, is was wrong on january 6th and it was wrong last mmer when several cities across the country werettacked by rioters. The politicaviolence that resued in the burning of our post offices, deruction of other federal buildings, mob attacks on live television, vience on the streets of portland, mipolis and other cities, businesses boarded up to them, evenere in d. C. , commerce ground to a halt. Its hypocritical that Speaker Pelosi and democrats refuse to acknowledge the violence americans witnessed on summer. Ion every night last according to one report, 25 amerandied during the the summer and fall of 20. Ny americans operty and lively hollywood were stroyed. Instead of condemning is violencemany democra supported and encouraged it. Kamala harris evenontred to bail t some of the rioters. Manyocratsontinued to rhetoric. Such dangerous democrat chairwoman maxine water cently called on the public to, quote, get more controversl, ithere was a verdict of not guilty in the case in minneapolis. No wonder america thinks congress is broken. We cant ignore acts of violence and use others for political gain, which is what were doing here today. This is unbecoming of americans congress. Epresentatives in the juice system must hold peopleccountable. We owet to t American People to addresshese acts of the American People deserve better from their elected representatives. I look forward to a constructive examinatn of missteps that curred on january 6th and strategies for guarding ainst these errors in the future. Finally, madam chairwoman, i want to tell the families that our our Law Enforcement who put their lives on the line for each and every day deserve bett from their leaders. They deserve strong and decisive leadership. Ill close now by thanking them and remembering the fallen. May god bless them and their families. With that, i yield back. I would now like to introduce the witnesses that will be testifying today. Our first witness today is Christopher Miller who is the former acting secretary of defense and who served in that role on january 6th. Then we will hear from Jeffrey Rosen who is the former acting attorney general. He also served in that role on january 6th. Finally well hear from Robert Contee who is the former district chief of the District Of Columbia. Please raise your right hand. Do you swear or affirm that the testimony youre about to give is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you god . I do. Let the record show the witnesses answered in the affirmative. Thank you. And without objection, your written statements are in the record. With that, your chairwoman malonely, the january 6, 2021 attack on the capitol was unconscionable. Im grateful for the opportunity to provide needed context and insights to this committee about the events of that day and what i believe was your militarys appropriate response. This is long overdue. Id first like to express my thanks to the First Responders who tried to contain the mob and defend the capitol complex and individuals there. They are true heroes. That is word is overused oftentimes, but definitely not in this case. As we assess the response, we should not lose sight of their brave actions that day. I served as the acting secretary of defense that day. As such i was ultimately responsible for agencies who held primary responsibility for safeguarding the Vice President , the members of congress and the capitol complex. My background is summarized in my my written statement, but i served in the army for over 30 years, including in the district of Columbia Army National Guard and in units with responsibility to protecting washington, d. C. Ive led soldiers, sailors and airmen and marines in combat environments. Following my retirement i resumed Government Service including the National Security council where i focused on defeating al qaeda and retooling the government to address the challenge of domestic terrorism. I was unanimously confirmed by the senate to serve as the director of the National Counterterrorism center. On november 9, 2020, i was designated as the acting secretary of defense and served in that position until the new administration took office. Im now a private citizen but remain supporting armed forces, veterans and families chs on december 31st, 2020, washington, d. C. Mayor Muriel Bowser sent a letter seeking unarmed National Guard support to the District Of Columbia metropolitan Police Department for planned demonstrations scheduled for 5 and 6, january. I formally approved the request on january 4, 2021. We received no further request for different or Additional Support until the capitol was breached. I want to highlight. You said in my Opening Statement i want to clarify, between 1 00 and 1 30, i noticed the outer perimeter had been breached, not the capitol itself. I know that sometimes difficult to understand, but thats one of the purposes of this hearing today is to make sure we get our lexicon straight. I want to remind you and the American Public that during that time there was irresponsible commentary by the media about a possible military coup. I was also very [ no audio ]. Ris store cli military responses to domestic protests have resulted in violences of americans civil rights and even in the vietnam war tragic deaths. In short, i fervently believe military should not be utilized than as a last resort. On january 26, 2021, 8,000 local Law Enforcement officers were on duty in the District Of Columbia. I was told during Planning Sessions that such a force routinely manages demonstrations well north of 100,000 demonstrators. That is what they are trained, equipped and expected to do. Many commentators mischaracterized my instructions as somehow contributing to the inability of the guard to respond or even worse, that those instructions somehow enabled the mob to enjoy an easy path to the capitol. That is completely false. We did not disarm the National Guard. The request from the mayor was for unarmed support of local Law Enforcement and we authorized the support she and general walker requested. At about 2 30, it became clear to me that local and federal Law Enforcement personnel were insufficient to address the situation and the department of defense would be required to play a much larger role in establishing security in washington, d. C. At 3 00 i approved the authorization of the full District Of Columbia National Guard to assist Capitol Police and the metropolitan Police Department. At 5 20 p. M. , National Guard arrived at the capitol. Order was restored by 8 00 p. M. And the Electoral College results were certified. Those of you with military experience or understand the nature of military deployments will recognize how rapid our response was. Krit says of the military response is unfounded and reflects inexperience with or lack of understanding of military situations is simply a result of politics. There are complexities to deploying forces in an urban environment. This isnt a video game where you can move forces with the flick of a thumb or movie that glosses over the logistical challenges in the time to synchronize with the entities involved or complying with the important legal requirements involved in the use of such forces. I have been in more crisis situations than i can meaningfully recall. Ive personally been in riots, fist fights and brawls, gunfights, mortar, attacked with improvised explosive devices. As a leader, ive commanded forces engaged in the most complex and military good leaders slow things down to plan and greet their soldiers, ultimately saving time and lives. Assembling soldiers, equippeding them correctly, conducting a Planning Session and briefing those involved with their task, purpose, limits, coordinate and synchronizing police and other domestic agencies on the ground to guarantee the National Guards movement supported their efforts. Moving them from the Assembly Point to the appropriate location and deputizing that via civilian Law Enforcement official prior to im ploys them. This is not a mere symbolic exercise i. All takes time. I also had responsibility to the members of our Armed Services and their families to make sure when i sent them in, i sent them in with a plan to not only succeed, but that would spare them unnecessary exposure and spare everyone the consequences of poor planning or execution. Our arrival needed to impression upon the mob, the situation had fundamentally changed with the arrival of disciplined, organized and overwhelming strength so that the balance of power shifted back in the favor of the forces of order and it was in their best interest for them to give up and give up quickly. I believe it did. Anyone familiar with the culture, nature and practices of the military and military operations in urban environments will understand the enormous accomplishment of the District Of Columbia National Guard and Army Leadership in responding so effectively and quickly that afternoon. As general millie correctly assessed, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, the department of defense responded at, quote, sprint speed, unquote. I stand by every decision i made on january 6th and the following days. I want to emphasize our Nations Armed forces are to be deployed for domestic Law Enforcement only when all civilian assets are expended and only as a last re result. So use them in any other manner is contrary to the constitution. I ask you to consider what the response in kong and media would have been if i unilaterally deployed thousands of troops into washington, d. C. Against the express wishes of the mayor and the Capitol Police who indicated they were prepared. I know the brave Law Enforcement officers serving on the front lines on january 6, 2021 did their best to protect the capitol and the individuals, many of whom are on this hearing today, were in harms way from a lauls and ignorant mob acting contrary to nearly 2 1 2 centuries of peaceful and respectful transfers of power. Im enormously proud of the men and women who answered the call on january 20, 2021 and the subsequent weeks watching them, talking to them, listening to them and trying to support them as best i could remain the high points of my term as the acting secretary of defense. They are americas treasury. Mr. Rosen members of the committee, good morning. My name is jeff rosen chairwoman malonely, ranking member. To those who risk their safety to protect everyone at the capitol, i honor your bravery. To the families of the Capitol Police officers or others who were injured that day or died in the wake of the attack, i extend my deepest sympathy. To all of you and your staff who lived through that day, i shared the justified anger at what you endured. But i also take solace in the fact that our republic never faltered. Buildings were breached, but the constitution and our shared values were a bulwark against the violent mob. Asset out in my written testimony, the department of justice prepared appropriately in the period before january 6th, and im proud of the departments response on january 6th when we urgently deployed more than 500 agents and officers from the fbi and u. S. Marshals to assist in restoring order at the capitol. That included the number two officials from doj and fbi personally going to the rotunda while the intrusion was still under way. All of these outstanding men and women from doj moved with urgency to assist the Capitol Police in the midst of an unprecedent security breach, and they helped clear the hollowed center of our representative government. As to holding the wrong dore r and the d. C. U. S. Attorneys office to investigate and, where appropriate, begin to prosecute those responsible for the disgraceful attack on the capitol. I appreciate the importance of todays hearing. Im happy to share with you the Justice Department, of course, must always be guided by our constitution and the rule of law. That is what guided me. The department of justice acted with the utmost integrity and urgency to support our institutions of government to the very best of our abilities when the legislative branch came under attack on january 6. The violence that occurred at the capitol on the afternoon of january 6 should never be repeated. As a society, we need to restore greater respect for our constitution, for our representative form of government and for the rule of l law. There are unavoidable limitations on the testimony i can provide at this time. For one, my access to information is limited because i am no longer with the department of justice. Further, while the events of that day will be with me forever, my memory is unlikely to be perfect, as im sure for all of us, there are some seared in memory and others that have become a blur. More often, ive been authorized by the department of justice to testify here today only on certain topics within the scope of todays hearing. As im bound as a lawyer and the former and as a former cabinet officer of the executive branch to maintain some kinds of information in confidence and also must avoid making any statements that could interfere with the numerous on going investigations and prosecutions of individuals involved in the events of january 6th. I appreciate your understanding as ill do my best to address the events of january 6th. With that, thank you for inviting me today and i look forward to your questions. The gentleman yields back. Our next speaker is mr. Contee. Good morning members of the committee. Im robert j. Contee iii. I appreciate this time to brief you on the events of january 6, 2021, a dark day for our country. It is critically important that we, members of congress, district leaders and residents and all americans find answers to questions about the 6th. Ill relate to you the facts as we know them at this time based on the point of view of the metropolitan Police Department and the government of the District Of Columbia. As with any event with multiple agencies, thousands of people and almost as many cameras as people, there will inevitably be several perspectives and possibly inconsistencies that will need to be aligned as more information is gathered. I would like to begin by highlighting a few key facts to ensure the committee and audience understand the very different roles of mayor mooul Muriel Bowser and District Of Columbia including mpd and those of congressional and federal authorities. Mpd is prevented in sbrerg the capitol or its grounds to patrol, make arrests or serve warrants without the consent or request of the Capitol Police board. Second, unlike any other investigation in the country, the president of the united states, not the mayor of the District Of Columbia controls the d. C. National guard. Any requests submitted by the mayor to mobilize the d. C. National guard must be approved by the president and the scope of the request must be limited to supporting the districts local jurisdiction and authority which excludes federal entities and property. A request for the guard assistance at the capitol or its grounds would have to be made by Capitol Police with the consent of the department of defense. Third, since mayor bowser declared a Public Health emergency in march 2020, the District Of Columbia has not issued permits for any large gatherings. On the morning of january 6th, mpd was prepared to support our federal partners with a First Amendment Assembly Held primarily on federal land while continuing to patrol and respond to calls for Service Throughout city neighborhoods. In preparation for the anticipated demonstrations and the possibility of violence on city streets, the department was fully deployed on 12hour shifts the week of january 4th with days off and leave canceled. Our federal partners each had their primary areas of spochblt the secret service was focused of the former president and the white house area. Park police was focused on the ellipse and national mall. Capitol police have responsibility to are the capitol including both the building and grounds. At mayor bowsers request and in advance of the scheduled demonstrations, mutual aid was requested from several area Police Departments to be on standby in the district and more than 300 members of the d. C. National guard were deployed on district streets providing Traffic Control and other services to allow mpd to support the First Amendment assembly and continue to provide services to d. C. Neighborhoods. What follows is a brief outline of mpds role in these events. At about 12 45 p. M. , the first of two pipe bombs were found, the first at the Republican National committee headquarters, the second found about 30 minutes later at the democratic National Committee headquarters. Mpd responded to the scenes for the pipe bombs to assist the Capitol Police. At 12 58 p. M. , chief sund asked for mpds assistance to address the growing violent mob at the capitol. Officers were immediately authorized to deploy to the west front of the capitol and arrive within minutes. Our members arrived at a chaotic scene. The violent mob quickly overran protective measures at the capitol prior to the arrival of officers at the west front. Our objectives, one, stop rioters from entering the Capitol Building and remove those already inside. Two, secure a perimeter so the capitol could be cleared for lawmakers. Three, enable congress to resume their sessions to demonstrate to our country and the world that our democracy was still intact. And four, lastly, only once the third objective had been accomplished, begin making arrests of anyone violating the law. At 2 22 p. M. A call was convened with, among others, myself, leadership of the Capitol Police, the d. C. National guard and the department of the army. On this call, the Capitol Police chief made an urgent request for support from the National Guard due to the dire situation we were facing. In the meantime, by 2 30 p. M. , the district had requested additional officers from as far away as new jersey and issued notice of an emergency citywide curfew. The seven hours between the urgent call for help from the Capitol Police to mpd and the resumption of work at 8 00 p. M. By both houses of congress will be forever etched in the memories of every Law Enforcement officer who was on the seen and it is undoubtedly in the minds of the elected officials, Congressional Staff and other Capitol Employees who were forced to seek safety behind locked doors. Other harm from this dramatic day will be widely felt but possibly unacknowledged. Law enforcement training neither anticipates nor prepares for hours of handtohand combat. Even brief physical fights are physically and emotionally draining. In closing, i appreciate the opportunity to highlight the heroism of mpd officers and all the Law Enforcement officers who responded to the capitol and put their lives on the line to protect the capitol, congress and our democracy. But to ensure the continued safety of the district and its residence, the federal enclave, mpd officers and others, we must be frank in looking at several critical issues. The federal Police Forces in d. C. Are reexaming security protocols given the risk of foreign and domestic terrorism. As the chief of the districts Municipal Police force, i must think about our preparations, not only for possible attacks, but the dale limb pact of our targets, as they harden targets in the federal enclave, other buildings may become more likely targets. Thank you again for the opportunity to brief you today. Ill be happy to answer questions as we try to come to terms with january 6th. Thank you. Thank you. And i now recognize myself for questions. On january 6 congress was filling its constitutional duty to certify the results of the president ial election. When Vice President pence, Speaker Pelosi and other members of congress had to be quickly evacuated because a violent mob had breached the capitol. Mr. Miller, you were the acting secretary of defense of january 6th. Did President Trump as the commanderinchief of the u. S. Med forces call you during the januy 6th attack to ensure the capitol was being secured . Mr. Miller . No. I had all the authority i needed from the president to fulfill my constitutional duties. Did you speak with President Trump at all as the attack was unfolding . On january 6th . No, i did not. I didnt need to. I had all the authority i needed and i knew what had to happen. Did you speak with Vice President pence during the attack . Yes or no. Yes. According to a Defense Department timeline it was Vice President pence and not President Trump who called during the siege to say the capitol was not secure and to give you the direction to, quote, clear the capitol. What specifically did Vice President pence say to you that day . The Vice President is not in the chain of command. He did not direct me to clear the capitol. I discussed very briefly with him the situation. He provided insights based on his presence there, and i notified him i informed him that, by the point that the District Of Columbia National Guard was being fully mobilized and was in coordination with local and federal Law Enforcement to assist in clearing the capitol. According to the dod timeline, the Vice President s call to you occurred at 4 08 p. M. , more than two hours after the capitol had been breached. Yet, according to this timeline it was not until after your call with the Vice President at 4 32 p. M. That you authorized d. C. National guard troops to deploy to the capitol. Did you issue your order in response to the Vice President s call . No. I issued the order to mobilize the District Of Columbia National Guard and provide all necessary support, civilian and local and federal Law Enforcement at i gave approval at 3 00 p. M. And the order was issued at 3 04 p. M. Mr. Miller, you order to deploy came only 24 minutes after the Vice President called you, and your testimony is they are unrelated. Do i have that right . Youll have to say that again. Thats hard for me to believe. But ill move on. Whats the question . Excuse me. Mr. Rosen, let me now turn to you. You are the acting attorney general on january 6th and you reported directly to the president. Did you speak to President Trump at all on january 6 . I did not. I did not require any authority that the department didnt already have. I think that the lack of direct communication from President Trump speaks volumes. President trump swore an oath to protect the constitution and to faithfully execute his duties as commanderinchief. When his supporters attacked our nations capitol, the president was nowhere to be found, leaving it to others to scramble to respond. Id like to close with a few simple questions. Mr. Rosen, you were the head of the Justice Department on january 6th. Do you believe the 2020 president ial election was stolen from President Trump . Chairwoman maloney, i addressed that issue in my written statement. I dont have anything beyond that other than to say there was no evidence presented of widespread fraud of a sufficient scale to overturn the election. Mr. Miller, based on his actions leading up to january 6th and on the day of the attack, do you believe President Trump fulfilled his oath to faithfully execute his duties as president and to preserve, protect and defend the constitution . Yes. Well, i think the evidence is clear. The president refused to lift a single to send aid after he incited a violent rebellion against our republic. The president be strayed his oath of office and constitutional duty. My time has expired. I now recognize the gentleman from arizona, mr. Gosar. Ut propaganda and lies are being used to unleash the National Security state against law abiding citizens. The fbi is fishing through homes and citizens with no criminal records and restricting the liberties of some never accused of a crime. Mr. Biden calls january 6th the rst atck since the civil war. A prident was peachefor his alleged role in that rt. It was reported earlier, totally unconfirmed that an arme insurrection, quote, beaa Police Officer to death with a fireinguisher. The government has enliste americans to turn their own neighbors. Federal prosecutor Michael Sherwin on 60inutes contued the chishock and awe strategy. We should simply oppe th citizension against american mr. Rosen, you claim that the doj would, quote, sparno resources, end of quote. Mr. Rosen, did the doj confiscate any firearms from suspects charged with breachin the capitol on january 6th . Congressman, as i alluded to in my opening remarks, there are certain limitations about pending investigations mr. Rosen, ill be looking forward to ask that question to people who can answer. The answer is no. Zero firearms from suspects charged with breaching. Was officer sicknick killed by rioters with a fire extinguisher . Congressman, officer sicknick was there acting in the line of duty and went into harms way. I think, as others have said, he acted as one of many heroes on that day. Mr. Rosen, he did it here ohhicly, but died of natural causes. Mr. Rosen, was a single individual at or outside the capitol on january 6th, have they been charged with the crime of insurrection . If youre asking me about charges that were either made, pending or being investigated mr. Rosen, thank you. Im not in a position to address those. Once again, mr. Rosen, to my knowledge, not a Single Person has been charged with a crime of insurrection. Mr. Rosen, do you recall the name of a young lady, a veteran wrapped in the American Flag that was killed in the u. S. Capitol . I do. Her name was ashley back bot. Was ashley back bot armed . Again, congressman, i mean to be respectful, i dont want to talk about individual reclaiming my time. Mr. Rosen, no. She wasnt. She was wrapped in a u. S. Flag. Was the death of Ashley Babbot a homicide . Congressman, im not trying to be unhelpful. I understand. Reclimbing my time. As the death certificate says, it was a homicide. Who executed Ashley Babbot . Congressman, im going to have to say the same thing here. I dont want to get thank you very much. I appreciate it. Chief contee, what are the rules of engagement at the d. C. Protest . At d. C. Protest . The only time we engage with riot gear and that kind of thing is situations where theres an actual attack thats going on, sir. I appreciate it. Thank you for your service. My stints question manned answers. The truth is being covered up. As a result the doj is harassing peaceful patriots across the country. Without accurate answers, conspiracies. Washington state representative who objected to electors in 2016 without the required support of a senator filed an ethics complaint against me for following the law under three usc code 15, the act which she herself failed at in 2016. 33 of my democratic colleagues wildly speculated that republican members of Congress Gave reconnaissance tours offering no proof whatsoever. Ive repeatedly asked for footage, which could contain