Latest J6 Claims: Mark Milley to Blame for 4-Hour Guard Delay

(WND)—On Dec. 10, 2018, just before the traditional Army-Navy football game, President Donald Trump made an announcement. While a well-coached Army team would go on to win 17-10 in what proved to be an exciting contest, more than two years later Trump would learn the consequences of his pregame announcement that day – one unfortunately made against the advice of his military “coaches.”

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS), Marine Gen. Joseph F. Dunford, was due to retire in 2019. Thus, Trump had to designate a replacement. For some reason, Trump was high on the U.S. Army chief of staff, Gen. Mark A. Milley, despite the advice, not only of Dunford but Secretary of Defense James Mattis, that Milley was not their first choice. Nonetheless, Milley got the nod and was sworn in as CJCS on Sept. 30, 2019.

During his confirmation hearings, Milley assured the Senate he would resign before doing anything improper, such as obeying an “illegal, unethical or immoral order,” and would never soft-pedal his advice to the president. Just before being sworn in as CJCS, he told Trump, “I will always provide you informed, candid, impartial military advice.” Trump responded with, “You’re my friend. You’re my adviser, and you deserve this position. I never had a doubt. Congratulations.” Based on the insights of a whistleblower who personally witnessed how the events of Jan. 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol unfolded, it appears Milley may have acted improperly, making the accolades given to him by Trump unwarranted.

A key issue concerning the January 6 incident is the National Guard’s failure to immediately deploy to stop the pro-Trump mob from entering the Capitol. But, instead, there was a four-hour delay. U.S. Army Col. Earl Matthews was in a position to know exactly what happened that day as he was serving as the National Guard’s legal adviser. But, after hearing two of Milley’s senior minions testify, allegedly contrary to what Matthews knew happened, he could no longer remain silent. In December 2021, he sent a shocking memo to the congressional committee investigating the incident.

The two senior officers involved were Gen. Charles Flynn, the deputy U.S. Army chief of staff, and Lt. Gen. Walter Piatt. Matthews held nothing back, accusing them of providing “perjured testimony.”

Despite his memo, Matthews was recommended for promotion to brigadier general in November 2022, only later to have it denied. This led to him filing a 37-page complaint on Jan. 3, 2024, claiming retaliation by the Army for blowing the whistle on his seniors. His complaint called them “absolute and unmitigated liars” in their testimony before Congress.

It was primarily due to testimony by the two generals that reports by both a Pentagon inspector general and the House committee investigating the January 6 incident found no impediment was deliberately placed by senior military leaders to delay the National Guard’s deployment. It is the Army’s narrative of the events of that day, supported by these reports, upon which the Colorado Supreme Court relied to justify getting Trump’s name removed from the ballot.

But in a recent interview, Matthews identified the person who delayed the Guard’s deployment, someone who had no authority to do so – Milley. Although the National Guard falls directly under presidential control, Milley circumvented his role.

Matthews made some fairly damning statements about the former CJCS in a recent interview. “Milley is the Don Barzini (a reference to the crime family in the ‘Godfather’ movie) of the Deep State,” said the Harvard Law School graduate. “He’s the most powerful chairman of the joint chiefs in history. It was Milley all along, and I didn’t realize it. Milley was manipulating this entire stuff from point start.”

Matthews shared that Milley projected himself outside of his authority. As CJCS, Milley was only to serve in an advisory capacity to the president with no legal authority within the chain of command. However, through his position and exploitation of other generals, he was able to maneuver himself into controlling the Army. Matthews explained:

“The problem was not with Donald Trump; it’s Mark Milley and the Army leadership in control. They stopped the Guard from coming, then lied about it and said the Guard acted at sprint speed. This is about civilian control of the military. There was none. There is none. I argue that – Mark Milley had more control over the D.C. Guard on Jan. 6 than Donald Trump did – if Donald Trump wanted to call the Guard to go to the Capitol, Milley wouldn’t let him do it.”

Among those supporting Matthews’ account are several District of Columbia law enforcement officials, including former Capitol Police Chief Steven A. Sund. He reported that the Pentagon seemed more concerned about the “optics” of military personnel engaged in crowd control as opposed to quickly deploying the Guard. He noted,”I got on a call with the Pentagon and pleaded for the National Guard. There was delay after delay after delay.”

Matthews reported once Sund’s request was received, it took more than three hours to receive the authorization to move Guard troops – who already had been equipped and pre-positioned – to the Capitol. He squarely faults Milley, stating, “I’m saying that his people delayed us, but Milley is in the center of everything, making the decisions – no question about it.”

Both Biden and Trump have leveled charges against each other that the other’s actions endanger democracy. What both should be demanding now is an investigation specifically into Milley’s actions for a rogue CJCS may well have violated his oath of office. If Matthews’ claims are accurate, they strongly make the case for a CJCS to have breached his constitutional authority, contrary to the clear intent of our Founding Fathers that the military at all times remain under civilian control. Absent such an investigation, Milley may well have gotten away with taking an unconstitutional walk on the wild side.

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