Page:CTRL0000034609 - Transcribed Interview of Kashyap Pramod Patel, (December 9, 2021).pdf/13

13 In November of 2020, I was asked to serve as chief of staff at the Department of Defense, and thereby became a senior member of a leadership team responsible for, among other things, a budget over $700 billion and nearly 3 million employees. It was one of the greatest honors of my life to be able to serve the American people in this capacity. My time at DOD was extremely eventful. In addition to the matters we will discuss today, I was deeply involved in and most of my time was devoted to senior-level operational decisions to counter our adversaries around the globe.

With respect to the events surrounding unrest at the Capitol, I supported the Acting Secretary in my role as his chief of staff. Additionally, I directed the creation of a timeline of events that my lawyers have marked as exhibit 2, I believe, but—

Mr. Sofer. And we'd ask at this time that the committee receive that exhibit into the record. It's a 9-page document marked as K. Patel Exhibit 2.

The Witness. Additionally, I directed the creation of a timeline of events that my lawyers have marked as exhibit 2 and would like to submit for the record. Thank you.

GreatGreat. [sic]

The Witness. This timeline was created and signed off by the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Secretary of the Army, and other sections within the Department of Defense.

Although I look forward to discussing these events in detail, I would like to make three things clear at the outset—excuse me—at the outset: One, the actions the DOD took before January 6, 2021, to prepare for the planned protest in Washington, D.C., on January 5th and 6th, 2021, were appropriate, supported by requirements, consistent with the DOD's roles and responsibilities, and compliant with laws, regulations, and other applicable guidance; two, the DOD's actions to respond to the United States Capitol Police request for assistance on January 6th, 2021, were appropriate, supported by