Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley told the House Jan. 6 committee that President Trump pushed the Pentagon to “establish the narrative” that he was still in charge on Jan. 6.
“He said we have to kill the narrative that the Vice President is making all of the decisions,” Gen. Milley told the panel in a recording deposition.
The recording was played during the committee’s prime-time hearing Thursday. The committee is showcase evidence that the committee calls the “coordinated, multi-step effort to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and prevent the transfer of power.”
Gen. Milley said that Vice President Mike Pence was “very animated” in his conversations with the Pentagon throughout the day and remained “very adamant, very direct, very firm.”
“In two or three calls with Vice President Pence, he was very animated,” Gen. Milley said. “And he issued very explicit, very direct, unambiguous orders. There was no question about that.”
The committee used Mr. Milley’s testimony to contrast Mr. Trump’s perceived objectives with those of Mr. Pence on Jan. 6, 2021.
Gen. Milley said his conversations with Mr. Trump in the aftermath of the attack raised red flags for him.
“I immediately determined that it was politics, politics, politics,” he said.
Thursday’s hearing marks the start of a month of public hearings by the committee which is expected to reveal new information and testimony from Trump administration officials and other witnesses.