(Mark Pellin, Headline USA) Excerpts from an upcoming biography overshadowed Sen. Mitt Romney’s announcement Wednesday that he would not be seeking re-election, sparking new questions about his role in events preceding the J6 protests and short-lived riot.
Timed to Romney’s retirement announcement, The Atlantic published excerpts of Romney: A Reckoning, which dropped several bombshell revelations. Among the most shocking was a reported exchange between Romney and Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., that warned of potential J6 dangers.
According to the book’s excerpt, Romney received a warning on Jan. 2, 2021, from Angus King, the junior senator from Maine, that he had been informed from a “high-ranking Pentagon official,” that “Law enforcement has been tracking online chatter among right-wing extremists who appear to be planning something bad on the day of Donald Trump’s upcoming rally in Washington, D.C.”
The warning Romney received was depicted as ominously predicting widespread chaos: “The president has been telling them the election was stolen; now they’re coming to steal it back. There’s talk of gun smuggling, of bombs and arson, of targeting the traitors in Congress who are responsible for this travesty. Romney’s name has been popping up in some frightening corners of the internet, which is why King needed to talk to him. He isn’t sure Romney will be safe.”
After the phone conversation, Romney reportedly texted McConnell:
“In case you have not heard this, I just got a call from Angus King, who said that he had spoken with a senior official at the Pentagon who reports that they are seeing very disturbing social media traffic regarding the protests planned on the 6th. There are calls to burn down your home, Mitch; to smuggle guns into DC, and to storm the Capitol. I hope that sufficient security plans are in place, but I am concerned that the instigator—the President—is the one who commands the reinforcements the DC and Capitol police might require.”
McConnell never responds.
The revelation raised serious concerns and questions that needed to be asked and answered, said American Greatness writer and investigative reporter Julie Kelly.
“Why are we learning this now? Why didn’t Romney provide that info to J6 committee? Was Senator King interviewed? Where is this alleged intelligence?” Kelly tweeted. “I strongly suspect Pentagon official was Mark Milley, who was heavily involved in pre-J6 calls, prep. He then classified it all.”
Jim Stinson, Tampa Bay editor for Business Observer, shared his perspective, writing that “Mitt likely conspired with the Jan6 Committee to suppress the other side of the issue: that DC bigshots knew there would be trouble. They knew bad actors were studying the tunnels. They knew it all.”
McConnell’s reported lack of response was particularly egregious given his condemnation of Trump for the riots that broke out from an originally peaceful protest.
“There is no question that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of that day,” McConnell said, according to The Hill. “A mob was assaulting the Capitol in his name. These criminals were carrying his banners, hanging his flags and screaming their loyalty to him.”
McConnell knew in addition to Romney. Did he share this with the J6 Committee? Did Senator McConnell share this with Speaker Pelosi on J6 or soon thereafter when they appeared to be united on saving Democracy? https://t.co/Dslss8AaKE
— CitizenJenn (@JenniferLynne61) September 14, 2023
Mark Pellin is an editor at Headline USA. Follow him at twitter.com/sabrepaw70.
