Congress investigates military role in Jan. 6; Generals warn of rogue military personnel in future coup attempts. Clearer evidence is slowly emerging from January 6, 2021, when hundreds of organized far-right rioters raided the U.S. Capitol while top-level military authorities hesitated to respond. New documents produced in recent days for the Congressional Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol highlight the shadowy contours of when the U.S. government nearly succumbed to an armed uprising early this year. More levels of detail have surfaced regarding the “stand-down” behavior of law enforcement and the military on that deadly day. Just three months before the attack, a key Army general making decisions on January 6, Michael Flynn’s brother Charles, posed for a photo with Sidney Powell, one of the main attorneys that sought to overturn the election via deceptive legal maneuvers (a project nicknamed “the kraken”, details below), an encounter this report looks at in detail. Three retired generals, Paul D. Eaton, Antonio M. Taguba, and Steven M. Anderson warned in a December 17 Washington Post opinion piece, “we are chilled to our bones at the thought of a coup succeeding next time.” Contemplating “rogue units organizing among themselves to support the ‘rightful’ commander in chief,” they added “a total breakdown of the chain of command along partisan lines — from the top of the chain to squad level — is significant should another insurrection occur. […] It is not outlandish to say a military breakdown could lead to civil war.” Examining the conflicting timelines and key players around January 6 raises even more questions about what actually happened inside the U.S. military. (…) The PowerPoint Meadows provided isn’t the only “national security emergency” concept in play—as another new document shows, rarely used military assets beyond standard National Guard riot control measures were briefly considered on January 6 as “Continuity of Operations” of the U.S. Congress (namely certifying final steps of the election) were endangered and delayed. Key officials have claimed that the main Department of Defense Inspector General report (153 pg PDF) about the Capitol protest and its aftermath is deceptive, inconsistent and/or incomplete. However, the level of military coordination, or lack thereof, around January 6 has major consequences. Col. Earl Matthews, a former D.C. National Guard (DCNG) official, accused General Charles Flynn and Lieutenant General Walter Piatt of lying to Congress, claiming that a fictitious timeline of events was put together by the Pentagon Inspector General to benefit them in hindsight. Flynn was deputy chief of staff for operations and Piatt was the director of Army staff during January 6. (Read the 36 page Matthews memo PDF here.) Initial reports of Flynn’s presence in meetings and conference calls were hazy, due to military-issued denials. “HE WAS NOT IN ANY OF THE MEETINGS!” one Army official emailed the Washington Post on January 12. On January 20, the Post headlined their report, “Army falsely denied Flynn’s brother was involved in key part of military response to Capitol riot.” Col. Matthews dubbed Flynn and Piatt “absolute and unmitigated liars” in a 36-page memo titled “The Harder Right: An Analysis of a Recent DoD Inspector General Investigation and Other Matters” (PDF). He also says that the Army’s internal report (PDF), “Report of the Army’s Operations on January 6 2021,” misstated the truth of what happened to benefit Flynn and Piatt. On November 18 the Washington Post reported that William J. Walker, former commanding general of the D.C. National Guard, called on the Army report to be retracted, and said that it made inaccurate claims—including a call from Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy at 4:35 p.m. that he says never happened. Walker is currently the Sergeant at Arms of the House of Representatives.
via unicornriot: January 6 Documents Reveal Plans to Overturn 2020 Election as Military Questions Deepen