“What happens is that they are screened before they leave their state and what is an accreditation process, so they are screened and repeatedly selected until they are actually placed on the street,” said General William Walker to the program “Good Morning , America. “
Walker did not say that the screening included specific questions about members’ beliefs about the legitimacy of the election, but they are conducting an improved screening of the background.
“No, it’s all about history. So a regular history check is enhanced with more sorting, more details and is layered so that the FBI is part of it, the Secret Service is part of it, and once they are sure that no one inside is threatening so that soldier, guard or airman receives a credential, “he said.
Walker emphasized that National Guard members are tracked when they enter the service and this is another layer.
CNN previously reported that the U.S. Army is working with the Secret Service to determine if there are any soldiers who will be part of the National Guard contingent providing security at the inauguration who need additional background screening.
The DC National Guard is also providing additional training to the military when they arrive in the country’s capital, that if they see or hear something that is not appropriate, they should report to their chain of command, “an Army spokesman said in a statement. in writing to CNN last week.
“There is no place for extremism in the armed forces and we will investigate each report individually and take appropriate action,” the statement said.
“The Army is committed to working closely with the FBI to identify the people who participated in the violent attack on Capitol Hill to determine whether individuals have any connection to the Army,” said the statement, adding that any type of activity that “involves violence, civil disobedience or breach of peace “may be punishable under the Uniform Code of Military Justice or in accordance with state and federal laws.
Current Department of Defense policy requires all military personnel to be trained annually under a program that requires department personnel to report “any information about known or suspected extremist behavior that could be a threat to the department or the United States,” said the communicated.
New details arise linking a rowdy to military
The verification comes at a time when new details have emerged linking a disorderly man involved in the US Capitol insurrection on January 6 to the American military.
Among those accused of connection to the riot so far is an Army reservist who, according to federal investigators, has security clearance and a long history of posting his extremist views online.
Federal investigators said the Army reservist – Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, of Colts Neck, New Jersey – was described by an informant as “an avowed white supremacist and a Nazi sympathizer,” according to court documents.
Court documents also say, in a phone call with the informant on Thursday that was recorded by the police, Hale-Cusanelli can be heard saying that he encouraged members of the crowd to “move” through the Capitol and gave instructions “by both voices. and hand signals. “It is not clear whether he was arrested.
Efforts to find and eliminate extremism in the military ranks, particularly among those who espouse white supremacist beliefs, began long before this month’s Capitol riot, but have been gaining more urgency in the days since.
Extremist groups, including white supremacists, value the recruitment of current and former military personnel, a defense official said last week, while also trying to bring extremist members of his group into the armed forces. The groups want the military’s experience and expertise.
“We know that some groups try to actively recruit our people for their cause or, in fact, encourage their members to enlist in the armed forces in order to gain skills and experience,” said the senior defense official. “We recognize that these skills are valued by some of these groups not only for the ability that they offer them, but also give them legitimacy in their minds because of them.”
CNN’s Barbara Starr and Jamie Crawford contributed to this report.