Trump ordered ‘immediate’ troop withdrawal from Afghanistan and Somalia, January 6 committee says
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BREAKING NEWS: Trump ordered ‘immediate’ withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and Somalia in December 2020 because he ‘knew he lost the election’ and wanted Biden to deal with it – despite warnings it would be ‘catastrophic’, committee says 6 January
- The committee of January 6 will hold its ninth hearing on Thursday afternoon
- It could be the panel’s last public event and its future is uncertain next year
- New evidence includes Secret Service communications and a video of Mike Pompeo’s statement with Vice President Liz Cheney
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Donald Trump ordered a complete withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and Somalia after losing the 2020 election, the Jan. 6 committee said at their hearing on Thursday.
The memo was written to the acting Secretary of Defense on Nov. 11 and will take effect Jan. 15, 2021 — just before President Joe Biden was due to take office.
The revelation was made by GOP Representative Adam Kinzinger, who will retire at the end of this year following Trump opposition to his reelection.
Trump National Security Council official General Keith Kellogg said he warned the former president it could be “catastrophic” in a video played by Kinzinger.
He also played footage of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, in which he said of the then ongoing conflicts in the US there: ‘Yes, we lost, we have to let that matter go to the next man.’
Lawmakers say it’s proof that Trump knew he lost the 2020 election.
“These are the very sweeping actions of a president who knows his term is coming to an end soon,” Kinzinger said.
Trump’s order was clearly never carried out.
A video of former US President Donald Trump plays during a House Select Committee hearing to investigate the January 6 attack on the US Capitol
The panel showed a memo signed by Trump saying that troops should be withdrawn immediately from Afghanistan and Somalia
The withdrawal happened in late August under President Joe Biden
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, testified before the committee that Trump said of some of the ongoing conflicts in the US: ‘Yes, we have lost, we need to let that matter go to the next man’
Biden has been widely criticized for his troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in late August 2021, which took place amid the Taliban’s blazing-fast offensive to reclaim the country from the US-backed government.
But if Trump had withdrawn them earlier, “it would have been a debacle,” Kellogg said.
At other points in the hearing, lawmakers showed even more evidence that those closest to Trump in the run-up to the Jan. 6 attack knew the election had been decided.
The commission showed for the first time images of their ousting of former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
When asked by Cheney whether Trump should abide by courts that dismissed his pre-election legal challenges, Pompeo replied that “we should all abide by the rule of law as best we can.”
When asked if he believed the election was over after the electoral college met on December 14, Pompeo replied, “Yes.”
Contrary to previous hearings, the panel will not have live witnesses during Thursday’s event
The commission also used newly revealed Secret Service messages to show that Trump knew he was losing — and that those around him knew danger was coming.
‘Ordinary. POTUS is angry – breaking news – Supreme Court has dismissed his lawsuit. He’s furious now…” read an email.
More documents show that the Secret Service was alerted by multiple tips about the Proud Boys, the far-right military group accused of playing a key role in the violence that day.
“Their plan is to literally kill people. Please take this tip seriously and investigate further,” read a message passed to the Secret Service.
Multiple agent correspondence on the day of the riot show agents knew that at least some of the people who had come to DC that day were armed.
“With so many weapons found so far, you wonder how many are unknown. Can be sporty in the dark,” one cop texted another.
A post on a pro-Trump bulletin board warned by the agency called then Vice President Mike Pence a “dead-end man” if he didn’t do “the right thing” to undo the election.