Trump’s acting Pentagon chief walks back blaming him for ‘encouraging’ riot

“I stand by my prior observation that I personally believe his comments encouraged the protesters,” he planned to say, according to his prepared remarks.

But the line was not included in his opening statement to the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday, as lawmakers sought to answer why and how the administration failed to stop hundreds of pro-Trump rioters from breaking into the Capitol in an attempt to disrupt the 2020 presidential election results.