Minority leader in the House, Kevin McCarthy, is demanding that the Department of Defense stop being used for political purposes after the National Guard accompanied a Democratic lawmaker to Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene’s office.
“@DeptofDefense is being politicized. Uniformed service members recently criticized an ordinary citizen for their First Amendment rights, and today a Dem lawmaker used soldiers in a political ploy against a member of the Republican Party, “McCarthy wrote on Twitter on Monday.”@SecDef Austin – This sets a dangerous precedent. You must stop now. “
On Monday, Guam’s Democratic delegate, Michael San Nicolas, posted images of the National Guard of the island’s territory accompanying him to the Georgia Republican Capitol office.
The video concluded with the following message: “Guam is a United States territory with troops in combat – [and] dying – alongside other Americans without having electoral representation in Congress or the Electoral College to elect a Commander-in-Chief. “
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The move came after, speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), Greene last month incorrectly called Guam from a foreign country, comparing him to China, Russia and nations in the Middle East. San Nicolas said at the time that he would contact Greene’s office. Greene was stripped of her duties on the committee after other controversial comments she made.
The visit seemed cordial, although Greene was not in his office at the moment. Nicolas was carrying a basket of goodies, and Greene’s legislative director thanked the National Guard for its services.
Greene sent a letter on Tuesday to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and the head of the National Guard, General Daniel Hokanson. “In recent days, there has been a dangerous and worrying trend in which members of our armed forces are being used to intimidate civilians, harass members of Congress and their employees and attack conservative journalists for expressing their views,” wrote Greene.
“Imagine if I or any of my Republican colleagues in Georgia marched with members of the Georgia National Guard to the office of a Democratic member of Congress to ambush and register their team,” she continued.
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But San Nicolas scoffed at the Republican criticism of the visit. He denied “using members of the military for political props”.
“I was taking my guards on a tour of the Capitol, and we stopped at the offices of several members and delivered some gifts,” San Nicolas told CNN. “Cookies should never be considered a political support, nor should our military. But goodwill is absolutely something that we want to extend from Guam to everyone.”
Major General Esther Aguigui, an assistant general in the Guam National Guard, suggested that she considered the incident appropriate.
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“We appreciate Congressman San Nicolas ‘efforts to represent our culture of Inafa’ Maolek, or to bring harmony, practiced here in Guam,” said Aguigui in a statement, according to Politico. “We also thank Congresswoman Greene for ultimately helping to raise awareness of the Guamans as citizens of the United States and our rich tradition of service and sacrifice to our nation.
“As a non-partisan entity, the Guam National Guard is here to continue this legacy of supporting and defending the United States Constitution and the freedoms it provides,” she said.