Thursday, March 04, 2021

Capitol Police request extension of National Guard to protect Congress, defense officials say

U.S. Capitol Police have requested a 60-day extension of some of the 5,200 National Guard members activated in the District in response to security threats and the Jan. 6 assault on Congress, defense officials said Thursday. Three defense officials said that the Defense Department received the extension and that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Army officials will consider it. If approved, it would keep Guard members on duty through May, said the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. About 5,200 Guard troops are on duty in Washington now, staffing a security perimeter around the Capitol that includes miles of fencing around one of the major symbols of American democracy. It was installed after the insurrection, launched by supporters of President Donald Trump after a “Stop the Steal” rally in support of his false claims that he won the election. The request appeared to catch D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser by surprise. “It was our expectation that the additional forces would be leaving now,” she said, adding that Capitol Police have had limited communication with the city about their security requests. “We don’t know why additional forces have been requested until May…. It was our expectation that the National Guard support would be lessened significantly around this time.” The request comes after Capitol Police officials said Wednesday that they had information about a possible attempt by a militia group to breach the Capitol on Thursday, a date that some followers of the QAnon extremist ideology falsely claim will mark Trump’s return to the White House. The House canceled a session on Thursday in response, while the Senate remained in session to consider President Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. Concerns about QAnon at the Capitol were not borne out Thursday. While Guard members remained on duty and the fencing and barbed wire is still in place, there was no violence...MORE


If the dems want to defund the police, this would be a good place to start. Let them defund their own first.


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