Page:CTRL0000034609 - Transcribed Interview of Kashyap Pramod Patel, (December 9, 2021).pdf/38

38 look at it.

According to the article, "We're like, "We're going to provide any National Guard support that the District requests,' Miller responded. And Trump goes, 'You're going to need 10,000 people.' No, I'm not talking bullshit. He said that."

Oh, so you remember stuff like that. So, going off just the memory, and we can go back to the article when you bring it up, there was a meeting with the President of 7 the United States, Acting Secretary Miller, and some others—I can't recall off the top of my head—where we were discussing, as the article states, something related to Iran.

And, in that same meeting, I believe it was on or around January 4th, 3rd, 4th, or 5th, the—as I stated earlier, in order for the Department of Defense's National Guard to be activated in any way we needed Presidential authorization. And President Trump at that—

[Discussion off the record.]


 * BY

Sure. Go ahead.

Okay. And so this question appears to implicate core executive privilege concerns. I'm prepared to answer it, but I want the record to reflect my serious concerns about congressional overreaching of this matter.

So what I remember is that we knew, in order to get the National Guard even mobilized, we needed the President to at least say yes first. So what—my recollection of that meeting is the President preemptively authorized 10 to 20 National Guardsmen and -women around the country—sorry? 10- to 20,000.

Mr. Sofer. You said 10 to 20.

The Witness. Sorry, 10- to 20,000 National Guardsmen and -women to be utilized around the country. The second part of that, of course, would have to be the