Democrat gets heated with former Trump official over Capitol riot: 'I have never been more offended'

On Wednesday, Christopher Miller — former acting defense secretary under former President Donald Trump — was aggressively questioned by Democratic members of Congress during a House Oversight Committee hearing on the response to the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol Building. And some of the most aggressive questioning came from Rep. Ro Khanna of California, who argued that Miller prioritized defending his "own reputation" over the safety of lawmakers who were inside the Capitol that day.

Khanna angrily told the former Trump official, "Secretary Miller, I have never been more offended on this committee by a witness statement than yours. You were more concerned about defending your own reputation and justifying your own actions than the sanctity of this Capitol and the sanctity of our democracy. Have you no sense of accountability, no sense of shame? Secretary Miller, I want to ask you today: Will you, at the very least, apologize to the American public for what happened on your watch?"

Miller responded by saying that he wanted to "highlight the incredible job that the members of our armed forces" had done, and Khanna accused him of being evasive — saying, "Secretary Miller, it's my time. Your pugnacious style is not going to override the democratic process. Learn to respect it. My question isn't about our troops or armed forces; everyone recognizes that they're extraordinary. My question is about your incompetence in leading them. Will you apologize to the American public for what happened on your watch? Will you apologize to the troops for what happened on your watch?"

Miller replied, "The Department of Defense and armed members of the armed forces performed magnificently," inspiring Khanna to say, "No one is questioning what they did. I'm questioning what you did." And Khanna once again asked Miller if he would "apologize to the American public for what happened" on January 6; Miller told Khanna, "I stand by every decision I made on January 6."