President Trump Did Not Incite the Jan. 6 Capitol Riot

Donald W. Bohlken - American Thinker   "President Biden and others claim that President Trump incited the Capitol Riot, falsely described as an  “insurrection,” on January 6, 2021.  This belief explains Colorado’s failed attempt to remove Trump’s name from the ballot because he is an “insurrectionist,” as well as a national YouGov poll that found that 54% of Americans approved of the Colorado action.  It is now used as a justification for Biden to refuse to debate Trump.  This claim remains a serious problem — not only for Trump, but for obtaining an accurate history of what happened on January 6. 

"A rational evaluation of Trump’s words and actions, and other factors, demonstrates that this claim is nonsense.

"If Trump wanted a riot, why would he repeatedly request National Guard troops for January 6?  On January 3, 2021, President Trump asked Secretary of Defense Miller and General Milley to assign National Guard troops to counter violence on January 6.  Miller responded, “We’ve got a plan and we’ve got it covered.”

"Troops could be legally provided only if requested by law enforcement.  The Capitol Police declined the Defense Department’s offer of troops.

"The Secret Service, the Marshals Service, Park Police, and the Department of Homeland Security informed Defense “that they did not anticipate needing DoD assistance on January 6th.”

"The District of Columbia requested 340 troops, primarily for crowd control at Metro stations and intersections.

"On January 5, Trump asked Secretary Miller for 10000 troops “to do what’s required to protect the American people.' ” . . .

Thus, by January 5, President Trump had not only twice requested national guard troops, but had been assured that the Department of Defense had “a plan and we’ve got it covered.”