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During Thursday’s appeal, Lt. Gen. Walter Piatt, who serves as the director of the military staff, admitted for the first time that he may have expressed concern about The “optics” of deploying more troops on the streets of the nation’s capital, despite previous efforts. deny ever having made such a statement. And Flynn, the Army Deputy Chief of Staff, said he was in the room for a portion of the call that included Piatt, then Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy, the DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and others, but he wasn’t sure if he had spoken. .
‘No intention to deceive’
Army spokeswoman Gen. Amy Hannah insisted defense officials had “no intention of deceiving” anyone and said the military never misrepresented Flynn’s participation in the appeal because she had never made an official statement before Wednesday about him.
“We cannot account for comments made … by an anonymous official,” Hannah said.
In the days following the riots, the military organized multiple briefings with anonymous senior defense officials while insisting that these briefings remain “in the background”, even as the journalists insisted that they be recorded publicly.
Piatt, a three-star general, said he may have spoken of the “optics” of putting troops in riot gear on the streets of the capital after speaking with note-takers, but he didn’t couldn’t remember in the “chaos” of an urgent phone call as Washington officials called for immediate military help.
“If anybody said I said that I don’t remember saying it that’s the best I can say I’m not trying to cheat on anyone I’m just so honest as possible, ”Piatt said.
But Piatt vehemently denied he was concerned about the optics last week, after the Washington Post cited former U.S. Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund as accusing Piatt of disliking “the image of the National Guard standing a police line with the Capitol in the background. Piatt claimed he “made no statement or comment similar to what was attributed to him.”
On Thursday evening, Piatt took on a whole different tone after speaking to note-takers in the room. “Some people say I might have said that, so okay I might have said that, I’m not going to deny what they said. I don’t know of a transcript. I don’t have one. not seen. If there is one, we would love to see it. “
Piatt, who has been accused by Sund and DC officials of rejecting a request to send additional troops, stressed he had said on three occasions during the call that he did not have the power. to call in more national guards. “I pointed out that the secretary of the military was downstairs with the acting secretary of defense and he had to make this decision,” Piatt said.
During that Jan. 6 call, Flynn walked into the room and listened for a total of four minutes, he said on the call with reporters on Thursday, shedding light for the first time on his involvement. , just a day after the military recognized for the first time. that he was always on call. Flynn said he was in a meeting at the Pentagon when he was interrupted and said McCarthy needed him urgently. He said he arrived at the office just as McCarthy was leaving to see Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller to authorize the deployment of more troops.
Flynn said he walked into the room for about four minutes and listened, along with Piatt and Deputy General Counsel Michelle Pierce.
“As far as I’m concerned on this conference call, if the mike was on, maybe I would have said something to Michelle Pierce or Walt Piatt. I don’t remember saying anything at the conference, but maybe I did. I just can’t remember saying anything to the audience on the other end. “
Flynn’s brother challenged Biden’s victory
“The leaders of the military have full confidence in the integrity, honor and service of Lieutenant-General Flynn and Lieutenant-General Walter Piatt, director of the military staff,” said the General Hannah. Charles Flynn categorically denied that Michael Flynn had any influence on his actions or decisions.
The official timeline of Miller’s office showed McCarthy, Bowser, the city’s deputy mayor, Christopher Rodriguez, director of the DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, and the head of the Metropolitan Police Department as participants in the call. Officials said Piatt was also on call.
But there was no mention of the involvement of Charles Flynn, a three-star general who has already been approved by Congress for a fourth star. Flynn is responsible for operations, plans, and training, but he is outside the DC National Guard chain of command, and he does not have the authority to deploy troops.
In official timelines released by the Defense Department following the riot, Charles Flynn was not listed as participating in any of the calls that day on mobilizing the National Guard to respond to the ‘riot.
In the days leading up to January 6, Pentagon officials were sensitive to the deployment of troops to the streets of Washington, especially after the criticism they faced over the military response to the June protests.
Nonetheless, the Pentagon deployed 340 members of the DC National Guard, asking both the city and the Capitol Police if they needed more troops. Both said no. But as the situation rapidly deteriorated on January 6, the now ousted Capitol Hill Police Chief Stephen Sund and DC officials said military leaders were hesitant and overly concerned about the public perception that more troops would again be deployed on the streets.
Charles Flynn’s open involvement, just a day after his brother, Michael Flynn, pushed Trump supporters with screams of stolen elections and violent images, would have only heightened that scrutiny. The elder Flynn has been permanently banned from Twitter for promoting QAnon and spreading lies and conspiracy theories about the presidential election. Michael Flynn, who briefly served as Trump’s first national security adviser, pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his conversations with Russian diplomats before Trump forgave him in November.
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