Thread by @PiperK

I'm so glad I watched this. Four DC National Guardsmen, under oath, say that Charles Flynn and Gen. Piatt lied about what happened on January 6. Flynn's cover-up, of course, doesn't make Trump's do-nothing day any less criminal. 1/ @sandibachom

The main point of each officer's testimony is that the DoD Inspector General's report about J6 is bunk. I have long said this. It needs a disclaimer on it. 2/

Captain Timothy Nick testified that Gen. Charles Flynn told SecArmy McCarthy to "deny the command" to allow the D.C. National Guard to come to the aid of the Capitol Police. 🔥 Boom. 🔥 3/

It was Charles Flynn and Walter Piatt's recommendation that, according to Capt. Nick, kept the SecArmy and SecDef Miller from doing anything that day. McCarthy just disappeared. 4/

This raises so many questions:
1. Why did Flynn and Piatt lie about J6?
2. Why did the DoD IG publish their cover-up?
3. There's a serious conflict-of-interest with Flynn. Did that impact his decision? Can we see comms with his brother, who was planning for martial law that day?
4. Why did Trump replace Esper? 5/

Dems seem to view this hearing as an attack on the J6 Committee, but I think they should lean into this. Trump, after all, was the Commander-in-Chief, and ultimately responsible for everything that happened that day. 6/

Some of this isn't new, but now we have four officers saying the same thing: Charles Flynn lied under oath about the events of J6. I appreciate these officers' insistence in trying to correct the record. 7/

According to Col Matthews, "They [Flynn and Piatt] believed it would have required 100,000 demonstrators before DC Guard was necessary."

Maj. Brooks called their recommendation "senseless." 8/

Bottom line: the National Guard could have been at the Capitol 3 hours earlier on J6, and desperately wanted to be. Someone held them back. 9/

Of course, we wouldn't have needed the National Guard if Trump had simply a) not told his supporters to march on the Capitol at 1:10, and b) told people to go home at 1:25 rather that sit down to watch Fox News. The Capitol was breached at 2:11. 10/

All four testified that the Army and "senior leaders" didn't understand what the National Guard does. They conflated the Guard with the military and didn't want the "military" on U.S. streets. 12/

Col Matthews also said "they didn't trust their Commander-in-chief [Trump]" and thought "he might declare a Reichstag moment."

Matthew's response: "The idea that a bunch of black kids in the DC Guard are gonna usurp the election for Trump is crazy." Lol 13/

Matthews: "The DoD IG has an obligation to correct the record. I mean, where does General Walker go to get his reputation back?" 🔥💯 14/

Brig. Gen. Dean thinks that SecArmy Ryan McCarthy's mistake was asking Charles Flynn for advice rather than the 4* General in the National Guard. 15/

How is it possible that no one in the U.S. Army or DoD on J6 understood how the National Guard works?

I do remember SecDef Miller saying he didn't want the military on U.S. streets... but that's the National Guard's job. 16/

Former SecDef Mark Esper would have known how the National Guard works. But Trump fired him.

The National Guard wasn't deployed until 5:09 p.m.  17/

This whole thing is so fishy. Prior to J6, McCarthy sent a letter saying the National Guard couldn't deploy without his permission. Then he disappeared on J6. Dean says McCarthy went to the "wrong agency" to make a "plan" on J6. 18/

This is what Charles Flynn said he was doing while the DC National Guard was waiting for authorization to go. Now I see how ludicrous Flynn's testimony is.

All McCarthy had to do was say "go." 19/

According to Col. Matthews, SecDef Miller finally gave the order to go at 5:09. McCarthy never did. 20/ END