National Guard soldiers rest in the lobby of the Capitol Visitor Center on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., Jan. 13.
A National Guard spokesman confirmed to The Epoch Times that at least 5,000 National Guard members will remain in Washington, D.C., through mid-March.
Maj. Matt Murphy told The Epoch Times via email, “The National Guard has been asked to continue to support federal law enforcement agencies as we continue to work to meet the support requirements following the president’s inauguration, which currently stands at 7,000 members and will be reduced to 5,000 by mid-March.”
He added, “We are providing assistance to state, regional and federal agencies with security, communications, medical evacuation, logistics and security support.”
The U.S. Army did not respond to a reporter’s request for comment.
Thousands of National Guard personnel have poured into the capital in recent days to guard the inauguration of President Joe Biden in Washington, D.C. More than 26,000 people were on duty Jan. 20 as part of the militarization of Washington.
The agency said National Guard personnel did not experience any security incidents, and only three people were arrested in Washington, D.C., on Inauguration Day.
As of last Thursday (Jan. 21), about 10,600 Guard personnel were on duty. Officials are planning how to send the rest of the troops back to their hometowns.
Several agencies are requesting continuation of the operation, additional support and redeployment of troops after rest and recuperation,” the National Guard said in a statement Thursday. Approximately 7,000 National Guard personnel are expected to perform support missions through the end of the month.”
Christopher Rodriguez, a Washington, D.C., homeland security official, said last Thursday that the nation’s capital has requested continued National Guard support in traffic management and crowd control through Jan. 30 “because we anticipate that there will be another national special security incident.”
The number of troops needed is still being calculated, he said.
On Friday (Jan. 22), three governors already said they were asking the National Guard to withdraw.
“I have ordered all New Hampshire National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., to return immediately,” New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, a Republican, said in a tweet. “They should be commended for doing a great job for the capital during a Time of conflict, not for facing substandard stationing conditions.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, also expressed the frustration of other governors with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) political review targeting all troops in Washington, D.C. It was revealed that the review has led to the removal of at least 12 troopers. He said on “Fox & Friends” that it was time to get the troops out of the “half-assed mission.
Earlier this week, state lawmakers expressed outrage over photos of National Guard officers and soldiers forced to station themselves on concrete in parking lots. The U.S. Capitol Police denied forcing National Guard officers to leave the Capitol. Lawmakers vowed to find out what happened.
The public outrage came after news broke that National Guard officers and soldiers were kicked out of the Capitol by lawmakers and that thousands of people had only one bathroom, among other conditions. Trump (Trump) has ordered Trump Tower in Washington, D.C., to host the officers and soldiers and provide better conditions.
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