WASHINGTON (AP) – Capitol Police have requested that members of the National Guard continue to provide security on the U.S. Capitol for another two months, the Associated Press learns. Defense officials say the new proposal is being scrutinized by the Pentagon.
The request underscores ongoing concerns about security and the potential for violence at the Capitol, two months after protesters stormed the building in the violence that left five people dead. And that happens when the police were on high alert on Thursday around the United States Capitol, after intelligence discovered a “possible plot” by a militia group to break into the building.
The potential plot is linked to the far-right conspiracy theory promoted by QAnon supporters that former President Donald Trump will rise to power again on March 4, the original presidential inauguration day.
US deputy Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., Said she learned that the 60-day extension request was made in the last 36 hours and that the Guard is now looking for volunteers from states across the country to meet the need.
Defense officials confirmed that the request is being considered at the Pentagon and that the Guard has begun checking the states for the availability of its troops, in an effort to be prepared if the final Department of Defense approval is given. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
The more than 5,000 members of the Guard currently in Washington, DC, are scheduled to return home on March 12, ending the mission.
Slotkin said that some members of Congress are concerned that there may be a solid plan to provide security for members and staff in the future.
“We want to understand what the plan is,” she said. “None of us likes to look at the fence, the gates, the uniformed presence around the Capitol. We cannot depend on the National Guard for our security ”.
She said there must be a plan that provides the necessary security for Capitol Police and local police buildings and personnel. Slotkin said he was saying that members of the House rushed to complete the important votes on Wednesday, so that they did not have to be in the building where many rebels fled in January. Lawmakers, she said, “don’t feel totally safe” on Capitol Hill.
US Capitol Police officials also told Congressional leaders that the barbed wire fence around the Capitol should remain in place for several more months.
Slotkin said, however, that he would work at the office on Thursday. “I’m not going to let these guys scare me,” she said.