Hundreds more National Guard troops sent to D.C. in response to pro-Trump violence
Hundreds of additional National Guard members were being sent into Washington, D.C., Wednesday evening in anticipation of a night of violence following the riots at the U.S. Capitol.
The service members would be tasked with protecting property around the nation’s capital to free up the city’s police force to conduct arrests.
Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said the entire 1,100 member D.C. National Guard was being activated, an escalation from the 340 it had earlier provided D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to have a presence on the street and assist with traffic control, but not directly engage with protesters.
Before the mob violence Wednesday, the Guard had said the troops dispatched would not be armed, but it was not clear if that had changed.
For weeks the senior military leadership of the Pentagon has stressed the armed services have no role in the presidential transition.
Only in the last few days did the D.C. National Guard announce it would assist local law enforcement in traffic control for the scheduled Jan. 6 protest against Congress certifying the Electoral College votes in favor of President-elect Joe Biden. For weeks, President Donald Trump has encouraged his supporters to show up in Washington to protest what he has falsely claimed was a victory for him, not Biden.
Rioters stormed the Capitol building, forcing shelter-in-place and evacuation of lawmakers as they were going through the process of certifying the vote.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith, D-Wash., said he spoke with McCarthy and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Army Gen. Mark Milley “who are now working with the District of Columbia government, the Department of Justice, and Capitol police to restore order to the Capitol and allow Members of Congress to safely certify the election results, as is our constitutional obligation.”
The mob violence was condemned by both former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford and former Defense Secretary James Mattis, both of whom served under Trump.
“Today’s violent assault on our Capitol, an effort to subjugate American democracy by mob rule, was fomented by Mr. Trump,” Mattis said in a statement obtained by CNN. “His use of the presidency to destroy our trust in our election and poison our respect for our fellow citizens has been enabled by pseudo political leaders whose names will live in infamy as profiles in cowardice.”
As night fell, both the Guard and city prepared for more potential violence. The city announced a 6 p.m. curfew that would subject those in violation to arrest.
“We have 1,100 personnel who are convening to the D.C. armory as we speak to support Metro PD and re-establishing safety within the confines of the U.S. Capitol,” McCarthy said at a press conference with the D.C. mayor.
Unlike the states, the D.C. National Guard is under the authority of the Secretary of the Army instead of a governor’s control.
McCarthy said the Guard will be used to provide “additional capability” to local police and federal law enforcement to clear the rioters, but did not provide specifics. The members of the D.C. National Guard are not armed, a National Guard spokesman said.
A video shot by Marine Corps Times showed the Guard pushing protesters back from the Capitol with riot shields.
The D.C. Guard members would protect property, a Guard spokesperson told McClatchy. Their presence was also being augmented by 650 service members sent from the Virginia National Guard and
150 troops from Maryland.
The riots led to at least one civilian getting shot inside the Capitol building, the city’s acting police chief said at the press conference.
“I can confirm one civilian was reported to have sustained a gunshot wound inside of the capital. Details of the shooting are not immediately available and the situation remains under investigation,” said Robert Contee, acting chief of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department.
This story was originally published January 6, 2021 at 7:13 PM with the headline "Hundreds more National Guard troops sent to D.C. in response to pro-Trump violence."
