“If correct, it would be a shameful insult to the vast majority of service members who honorably serve our nation according to the core values of their respective services,” wrote Duckworth in the letter.
If any of these individuals are identified, Duckworth asked Miller to take “appropriate measures to hold individuals accountable under the Uniform Code of Military Justice”.
“Maintaining good order and discipline requires the US Armed Forces to eliminate extremists who infiltrate the armed forces and threaten our national security. I thank you in advance for prioritizing my urgent order, ”wrote Duckworth.
Duckworth is the latest lawmaker to press the Pentagon for answers after the violent violation of the Capitol. Representatives Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) And Jason Crow (D-Colorado) requested that Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy inform the House Armed Services Committee by Friday of the Guard’s role in responding to the mutiny and plans to deploy the Guard in the capital country for the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.
Crow also released a summary of a phone call with McCarthy on Sunday in which the Secretary of the Army said the Pentagon “is aware of other possible threats posed by potential terrorists in the days up to and including Induction Day” and is coordinating with locations and application federal law.
The congressman also sought guarantees that the troops in charge of security for the inauguration will be examined for possible sympathies with “domestic terrorists”.
This is not the first time that the DoD has been forced to rely on the prevalence of extremism in the ranks. Last year, the department was shaken by an alleged conspiracy by a young soldier to coordinate with a neo-Nazi group to attack and kill members of its own army unit.
A 2019 Military Times survey found that more than 36 percent of active soldiers said they had personally witnessed examples of white nationalism or ideological racism within the ranks, a 14 percent increase from one similar survey in the previous year.
In response to the disturbances, Miller on Wednesday authorized 6,200 National Guard men from six states and the District of Columbia to respond to the disturbances in the days leading up to the inauguration.
Lawmakers, DC and state officials exchanged barbs with the DoD over who is to blame for the security breach at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. Maryland Governor Larry Hogan said on Sunday that he was baffled by the response he received while seeking DoD approval for his guards to enter DC
However, senior defense officials said Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser deliberately limited the Pentagon’s role in responding to the riots on Wednesday. After receiving a barrage of requests from Bowser and lawmakers on Wednesday for additional support, DoD officials worked quickly to send reinforcements, they said.
Connor O’Brien contributed to this report.