As the National Guard’s move to the Capitol enters its second month with no solid end in sight, politicians are beginning to question whether troops are taking too long to welcome.
Pentagon officials pointed out unspecified threats to justify their approval to keep some 5,000 guards on Capitol Hill until at least mid-March.
Local politicians, while agreeing with the need for the current deployment, expressed concern about security at the Capitol becoming permanent, cutting off access around the neighborhood that residents traditionally have.
Meanwhile, Republicans in Congress have begun to openly question whether there is intelligence to justify keeping guards in DC, accusing Democrats of using the Guard to show off.
“I am part of the Intelligence Committee, but I am not aware of any specific and reliable threat reports – unlike aspirational and uncoordinated bluster on the Internet – that justify this continued presence of troops,” senator. Tom Cotton
Tom Bryant CottonCotton calls for removal of the DC Senate National Guard The Republican Party signals that it is likely to acquit Trump a second time. The Economist hires former NYT editor who resigned after the Cotton MAIS editorial (R-Ark.) Wrote an article for Fox News this week. “Therefore, I believe that the rest of these soldiers should also return home, to their families and to civilian jobs.”
Guards from across the country began arriving at the Capitol in early January, after protesters supported former President Trump
Donald Trump’QAnon Shaman ‘wants to testify in impeachment trial, lawyer says Boebert clashes with Parkland survivor on Twitter:’ Give your keyboard a rest, kid ‘Night defense: FEMA asks the Pentagon for help with vaccines | US says Taliban ‘failed to keep its commitments’ | Army investigating Fort Hood chaplain MORE attacked the building and US security agencies warned of threats of further violence that led to President Biden’s inauguration.
At the height of deployment, some 26,000 guards were patrolling the Capitol armed with semi-automatic M4 rifles, taking breaks in the corridors of the Capitol building, setting up fences with barbed wire tops and parking military vehicles to block National Shopping and large areas of downtown A.D
The inauguration ended without incident, and the Guard now has about 7,000 members.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin
Lloyd AustinOvernight Defense: FEMA asks the Pentagon for help with vaccinations | US says Taliban ‘failed to keep its commitments’ | Army investigating Fort Hood, Pentagon chaplain: Taliban ‘failed to meet commitments’ in withdrawal agreement Lloyd Austin has to support nuclear modernization for the free world MORE visited the guards at the Capitol on Friday to thank them for being there and ask if they needed anything, saying “the Department of Defense is after you.”
“I recognize that it is not an easy duty, but it is an important duty,” Austin told the soldiers. “The lawmakers who work in the buildings behind you are very, very grateful and happy. They don’t get a chance to say it in person every day, but believe me, they tell me that, how grateful they are. “
At the request of the Capitol Police, some 5,000 will remain until at least mid-March, with Guard leaders expressing this sentiment to their troops.
Army Major General David Baldwin, California’s deputy general, said on Friday that officials told the 286 soldiers sent from his state to Washington “to expect to be on mission by March 14 at the latest.”
Meanwhile, Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman recommended this week that security measures, including fences and unspecified security forces stationed in the “vicinity” of the building, become permanent.
The suggestion drew a rapid reaction from across the political spectrum, including from DC Mayor Muriel Bowser
Muriel BowserBowser says DC will “not accept” permanent fences around the Capitol. Capitol police chief calls for permanent fences, support security DC Mayor: Security must be strengthened before Trump’s impeachment trial MORE (D).
“Based on conversations with federal partners, there are some potentially volatile events that will require extra security. Fencing and the presence of troops will be part of that, ”tweeted Bowser.
“But we will not accept extra troops or permanent fences as a long-term device in DC,” she added.
But Republicans are increasingly questioning what threats are keeping the National Guard in DC right now.
Eleven Republicans, led by Rep. Michael Waltz
Michael WaltzHouse Republicans ask for information about threats to keep the National Guard in DC Jill Biden visits the Capitol to thank the editorial board of the National Guard Journal and apologizes for endorsing the Republican for supporting the Texas process MORE (R-Fla.), He sent a letter to Interim Army Secretary John Whitley this week requesting a briefing on threats to the Capitol complex.
“As you know better than anyone, the men and women of our National Guard are deployed in the short term and removed from their families and jobs,” they wrote. “The National Guard should be used as an option of last resort.”
In justifying the continued roll-out, Whitley told reporters that there are “several future events” that the FBI is concerned about, but has forwarded to the bureau for details.
“It is certainly the policy of the Department of Defense to believe that military forces should be used as a last resort,” said Whitley. “We have faced an unprecedented crisis in the past three weeks, and our United States military, especially the National Guard, responded in an exemplary manner. And we will always do this, if necessary, for the safety of our nation. “
The Department of Homeland Security also issued a terrorism bulletin this week warning of threats from domestic extremists that persist after the inauguration.
“The information suggests that some ideologically motivated violent extremists and objections to the exercise of governmental authority and the presidential transition, as well as other complaints fueled by false narratives, may continue to mobilize to incite or commit violence,” the bulletin said.
Among the next events that could become a lightning rod is Trump’s Senate impeachment trial, scheduled to start on February 9. Fans of QAnon conspiracy theory are also making false claims that Trump will be sworn in again on March 4, the president’s original inaugurations before the 20th Amendment changed him to January 20.
The deployment of the National Guard began to take on a more partisan tone after some guards were forced to rest during their shift in a parking lot instead of inside the Capitol complex as before.
The guards were quickly taken back to the building after photos of them held tight in the garage circulated online and lawmakers from both sides expressed outrage. But several Republican governors made a point of announcing that they were bringing their troops home.
“They are not Nancy Pelosi
Nancy PelosiGOP congressman demands that Ocasio-Cortez apologize after switching on Twitter with Senators from Cruz Georgia pressure the administration and Senate Democrats to pass a new round of stimulus checks: report Boebert clashes with Parkland survivor on Twitter: rest at your keyboard, child ‘MOREservants ”, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis
Ron DeSantisFlorida makes offer for the Olympics if Tokyo gives up Florida scientist who accused the state of manipulating COVID-19 positive coronavirus data and surrenders to the hospital overnight: Limited testing capacity while localities struggle with vaccine teams | Health workers refuse vaccine is growing problem | CDC’s new director expects 500,000 COVID deaths by mid-February MORE (R) said last week in “Fox & Friends” about sending his Guard home, adding that the deployment is “a half-armed mission right now.”
Several other Republican governors, including in Montana, New Hampshire, Texas, Alaska, Arizona and Tennessee, also announced that they were calling their guards back.
In his Fox News article, Cotton, who over the summer called for active troops to be repressed for racial justice protests, also said Democrats “overreacted” to the initial scale of the deployment to “portray the 74 million president. Donald Trump voters as ‘domestic terrorists’. ”
Even before deploying the Capitol, the National Guard was stretched last year as it was called in to help respond to the COVID-19 crisis, supporting local law enforcement during racial justice protests, responding to hurricanes, forest fires and others natural disasters and strengthening cyber defenses and local election officials during the elections.
Increasing tensions, the Guard’s own soldiers are becoming susceptible to COVID-19 while in the country’s capital.
Guard officials told reporters on Friday that about 2 to 3 percent of guards assigned to Capitol since January 5 have contracted the virus.
They were unable to provide a concrete number of positive cases, as it is “fluid over time, as soldiers leave and arrive in the area due to the dynamic nature of the mission,” said Major General Jerry Fenwick, director of the National Guard Office of the Joint Surgeon.
Democratic governors, meanwhile, have increased their travels to the Capitol to fill the gaps as other troops leave.
“The United States Department of Defense asked Illinois to assist federal and local agencies in this ongoing effort, and Major General [Rich] Neely and I are ready to ensure that the state of Illinois continues its proud legacy of protecting our democracy, ”said Illinois Governor JB Pritzker (D) in a statement announcing his activation of some 500 guards for the Capitol mission. .
“Ultimately, we must eradicate the dark forces of racism, white supremacy and disinformation that created this moment, but until we do that, our extraordinary troops will be deployed with honor.”
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo
Andrew CuomoOvernight Health Care: Biden signs executive health actions to ‘undo the damage’ caused by Trump | COVID-19 cases fall, but variants point to dangers ahead | Novavax vaccine nearly 90 percent effective in the trial, but not against South Africa’s State AG variant says New York has a massive underestimation of COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes. (D) also sent 542 other guards to DC, saying that “our federal government is facing a series of challenges unlike any other in modern history and needs to be able to conduct its business safely for the good of all Americans”.
Army Major General Paul Rogers, Michigan’s deputy general, told reporters on Friday that states are not forced to respond to all requests from governors, considering how difficult they can be. He said that leaders have “total discretion to give feedback to the Cabinet of the Guard” and said that the Guard is seen as a national network designed to fill in gaps when needed.
“If one state fails to do that,” said Rogers, “another state will come forward and fulfill that obligation.”