The presidential inauguration will take place on Wednesday, but with the decision having been made to secure the entire area in Washington, DC, the National Guard was called in.
But that wasn’t enough. It didn’t take long for rumors to circulate that maybe the National Guard can’t even be trusted, which caused the Pentagon to take action:
Pentagon vows to vet National Guard for extremist ties ahead of inauguration https://t.co/cgDVroJ7ac
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) January 18, 2021
The Defense Department says there’s no evidence of any insider threat, but the vetting is being done in an abundance of caution:
“As is normal for military support to large security events, the Department will vet National Guardsmen who are in Washington, DC. While we have no intelligence indicating an insider threat, we are leaving no stone unturned in securing the Capitol.” – A/SD Chris Miller
— Department of Defense ?? (@DeptofDefense) January 18, 2021
“This type of vetting often takes place by law enforcement for significant security events. However, in this case the scope of military participation is unique.”
— Department of Defense ?? (@DeptofDefense) January 18, 2021
Naturally, the Democrats are turning this into a narrative. Democrat Rep. Steve Cohen even suggested that 75 percent of the National Guard might be compromised because they voted for Donald Trump in November.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott had enough of that on Monday, saying he won’t cooperate with sending Guard troops to DC if they’re going to be used as political pawns:
This is the most offensive thing I've ever heard.
No one should ever question the loyalty or professionalism of the Texas National Guard. @TexasGuard
I authorized more than 1,000 to go to DC.
I'll never do it again if they are disrespected like this.https://t.co/STZDMz7PGm
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) January 19, 2021
Nobody will ever accuse Gov. Abbott of mincing words!
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