Tuesday, 26 Nov 2024

Biden Joins Public Outcry After Guard Soldiers Seen Resting in a Parking Garage

WASHINGTON — President Biden on Friday telephoned the chief of the National Guard Bureau to express dismay after troops deployed to protect his inauguration were ordered a day earlier to rest in an unheated garage after being booted from the Capitol, administration officials said.

Photographs of dozens of guard members resting in parking spaces created a public relations debacle in the first days of Mr. Biden’s term, with some governors demanding that troops from their states be sent home.

In a telephone call with General Daniel R. Hokanson, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, Mr. Biden asked what he could do about the situation, the officials said. The two men also talked about Mr. Biden’s personal connection to the Guard; Mr. Biden’s son, Beau, who died of brain cancer in 2015, served as a Major in the Delaware Army National Guard.

Officials said that the White House might also arrange a call with state officials to thank them for their state’s contributions to the deployment of more than 25,000 National Guard personnel to the nation’s capital to provide security ahead of and during the inauguration on Wednesday.

Early Friday morning, the D.C. National Guard said that the soldiers had been moved back to the Capitol from the parking garage. Guard officials said that the troops had been temporarily moved out of the Capitol on Thursday afternoon at the request of Capitol Police because of increased foot traffic as Congress came back into session.

But photographs of the troops resting on the floor of the parking garage, paired with reports that they had access to scant toilet facilities and were breathing in car exhaust fumes, prompted a public uproar.

The scene contrasted sharply with photographs taken of Guard soldiers sleeping on the floor or on cots inside the Capitol immediately before Mr. Biden’s inauguration, which led to an outpouring of support for the soldiers.

The number of Guard soldiers mobilized to provide security for the inauguration rose sharply following the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, reaching 15,000 by Jan. 12 and ultimately surpassing 20,000 by Jan. 20. A spokesman for the National Guard Bureau said on Thursday that the D.C. Guard was responsible for their lodging.

A joint statement from the National Guard Bureau and the Capitol Police released Friday afternoon did not explain why soldiers were sent to a parking garage but suggested it would not happen again.

The statement from Maj. Matthew Murphy, a National Guard spokesman, said both organizations were coordinating their efforts to ensure Guard members stationed at the Capitol were being provided “appropriate spaces within Congressional buildings” for “on-duty breaks.”

“Off-duty troops are being housed in hotel rooms or other comfortable accommodations,” Major Murphy said.

About 19,000 of the troops deployed to Washington have started packing up and returning to their home states, a process that will take about five to 10 days, officials said.

The remaining troops — about 7,000 of them — are expected to stay in Washington at least through the end of January to provide support to federal agencies and guard against the possibility of another riot at the Capitol.

As the images from the parking garage spread on social media Thursday afternoon, lawmakers in both parties were quick to condemn the situation and pledged to get the soldiers back in to the Capitol. Some offered to let Guard soldiers take breaks in their private Senate and House offices.

Capitol Riot Fallout

From Riot to Impeachment

The riot inside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, followed a rally at which President Trump made an inflammatory speech to his supporters, questioning the results of the election. Here’s a look at what happened and the ongoing fallout:

    • As this video shows, poor planning and a restive crowd encouraged by President Trump set the stage for the riot.
    • A two hour period was crucial to turning the rally into the riot.
    • Several Trump administration officials, including cabinet members Betsy DeVos and Elaine Chao, announced that they were stepping down as a result of the riot.
    • Federal prosecutors have charged more than 70 people, including some who appeared in viral photos and videos of the riot. Officials expect to eventually charge hundreds of others.
    • The House voted to impeach the president on charges of “inciting an insurrection” that led to the rampage by his supporters.

    Source: Read Full Article

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