Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., said Thursday during a hearing held by the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack that former President Donald Trump knew full well that he lost the 2020 election. Meanwhile, he was acting on that loss, and trying to quickly withdraw troops from around the globe even though the Department of Defense urged him not to.
Kinzinger showed videos of several defense officials who testified that it was young staffer Johnny McEntee, who did nothing more than run the staffing office of the White House, and penned the directive ordering all troops out of Afghanistan and Somalia.
"Knowing that he had a lost and had only weeks in office, President Trump rushed to complete his unfinished business," said Kinzinger. "One key example is this: President Trump issued an order for a U.S. troop withdrawal."
"He disregarded concerns about the consequences for the fragile government on the front line of the fight against ISIS and terrorists. Knowing he was leaving office, he acted immediately and signed the order on November 11, which would have required the withdrawal of troops from Somalia and Afghanistan all to be complete before the Biden administration on January 20."
He showed clip after clip of high-ranking military and security officials revealing that Trump wanted the "immediate" withdrawal of all troops from Afghanistan. Military leaders told him it would be a disaster, but Trump didn't care. When Joe Biden entered office, it was the mess that he was forced to clean up and for which he was blamed. The implication is that it was what Trump wanted.
Watch video below or at this link.
.@RepKinzinger on Trump signed order requiring troop withdrawal Afghanistan & Somalia: "Keep in mind the order was for an immediate withdrawal. It would have been catastrophic. And yet President Trump signed the order." #January6thHearings pic.twitter.com/1w1VTZiIxj
— CSPAN (@cspan) October 13, 2022
