Retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg said last week that former President Donald Trump did in fact request National Guard troops be deployed in Washington D.C. before the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Kellogg said he was present at the time of Trump’s request, and Congress should release his testimony to the public.
Trump has repeatedly claimed he requested National Guard troops be activated in D.C. to provide security as he called on supporters to gather in D.C. to protest the certification of the 2020 election results for Joe Biden. Trump’s claim has been substantiated by members of his administration, but rejected by some members of Congress.
Kellogg, who was serving as Vice President Mike Pence’s National Security Advisor at the time of the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol breach, tweeted last week, “To be clear on 6 Jan/NG. Pg 199 of my book, ‘On 3 Jan the President asked the Def Dept to deploy NG troops’ into DC for J6 contingencies. OK for J6 Cmte to publicly release my full sworn testimony. Release Army Guard and DC Mayor J6 testimonies as well. Would be illuminating.”
Kellogg now serves as the co-chairman of the America First Policy Institute’s (AFPI) Center for American Security.
According to an initial timeline published by the U.S. Capitol Police, a Pentagon employee named Carol Corbin reached out to Capitol Police Deputy Chief Sean Gallagher on Jan. 2, 2021 to determine whether Capitol Police were considering a request for National Guard soldiers in anticipation of planned election protest events on January 6. Gallagher replied on Jan. 3 that the Capitol Police were not planning to make such a request.
According to a Department of Defense Inspector General report from November, Trump asked acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley on Jan. 3 about preparations for election protests on Jan. 6.
“The President told Mr. Miller that there would be a large number of protestors on January 6, 2021,” the DoD report states. “And Mr. Miller should ensure sufficient National Guard or Soldiers would be there to make sure it was a safe event. Gen Milley told us that Mr. Miller responded, ‘We’ve got a plan and we’ve got it covered.'”
Miller testified to Congress in May of 2021 that Trump also asked him if D.C.’s mayor had requested any National Guard troops and instructed him to “fill” a request.
A recent Washington Times op-ed criticized the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol breach. The op-ed said the select committee does not have legitimate Republican representation. Reps. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) and Liz Cheney (R-WY) are the only two Republicans currently allowed on the committee.
David Bossie, who wrote the Washington Times op-ed noted Jan. 3 conversation between Trump and Miller and said the Jan. 6 select committee is “crafting a narrative that doesn’t quite add up and omits important facts that would not stand if there were proper Republican representation on the committee.”
Bossie was deputy campaign manager of Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
Kellogg responded to Bossie’s op-ed in a tweet Friday, saying, “Great OpEd. Reinforces my earlier comment on 6 Jan Cmte. Has quote from DOD IG Report regarding 3 Jan 2021 meeting with Actg Def Secy Miller/CJCS Milley in the Oval on the 6 Jan NG request by POTUS on troops needed. I was in the room.”
