Maloney rips ex-prez team on riot defense

Rep. Carolyn Maloney blasted the administration of former President Donald Trump on Wednesday for being “unprepared” for the Capitol insurrection “even though [the attack] was planned in plain sight on social media for the world to see.”

The New York Democrat and House Oversight Committee chairwoman’s remarks come after months of House and Senate hearings to investigate how a mob of Trump supporters was able to overwhelm law enforcement and storm the Capitol on Jan. 6.

“It is our duty to understand what went wrong that day, to seek accountability, and to take action to prevent this from ever happening again,” Maloney said. “More than four months later we’re still in the dark about exactly what went wrong.”

But after more than five hours of testimony, Wednesday’s hearing featured more partisan rhetoric than actual new information about preparations for the Capitol attack.

Acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller, a Trump appointee, defended his decisions on Jan. 6 and fired back at criticism that military forces were too slow to respond. “Criticism of the military response is unfounded, and reflects inexperience with, or a lack of understanding of, the nature of military operations,” Miller testifed.

He said he was concerned that sending troops would fan fears of a military coup and cause a repeat of the deadly Kent State University shootings in 1970.