Page:CTRL0000034609 - Transcribed Interview of Kashyap Pramod Patel, (December 9, 2021).pdf/62

62 Guard. The Secretary of Defense, following the chain of command, had what he needed from the White House.

So, as it relates to January 6th, the authorization was there, and the Secretary of the Army was working the separate request from Mayor Bowser and company. So I think that our bulk and the Secretary's work were focused on fulfilling those requests.

I understand that he had the authority. But do you see any duty for the Commander in Chief, the President, to reach out to the Acting Secretary Miller during an attack on the seat of democracy?

Well, I don't—I'm not going to presume what the Presidential duties were on any given day for any President. You can ask them.

Presidential duties—

That's what you just asked me.

No, I'm asking you, as the President, when there is an attack on the Capitol, is it unusual for him not to reach out to the Secretary of Defense.

I don't—

If you didn't find it unusual, that's fine. We can move on.

What I'm telling you is that I don't recall that phone call occurring. You're asking me to characterize a phone call that I don't recall occurring. I can't do that.

I'm telling you no such phone call occurred. That's what I'm asking you. I'm telling—

You're not allowed to testify for me. If you want the record to reflect you're going to answer for me, the record will reflect that.

I've answered your question to the best of my ability and the best of my memory. And I've said repeatedly, if there's something you can show me to jog my memory, I'm happy to look at them, but my answer is not going to change if you keep asking me the