Outrage ran high on Thursday following reports that members of the National Guard stationed in Washington, D.C., were told to cease using the Capitol Building for breaks between their 12-hour shifts and were instead forced to hold out in parking garages. Sources indicate the guardsmen were compelled to move after a Democrat congressman complained about a National Guard member who was not wearing a mask.
According to Breitbart, a source said Representative Will Keating (D-Mass.) reported to Capitol authorities earlier on Thursday that a National Guardsman was spotted at a Dunkin Donuts in the Capitol without a mask on his face.
Keating reportedly commented out loud that masks are to be worn at all times inside a federal building, to which the National Guard member responded, “I appreciate my freedom.”
Thousands of guardsmen were abruptly told to vacate the Capitol on Thursday and instead relocate to a garage without Internet reception, just one electrical outlet, and one bathroom with two stalls for 5,000 troops. Temperatures in Washington were in the low 40s by nighttime.
“Yesterday dozens of senators and congressmen walked down our lines taking photos, shaking our hands and thanking us for our service. Within 24 hours, they had no further use for us and banished us to the corner of a parking garage. We feel incredibly betrayed,” one guardsman said of the situation.
This prompted outcry from political leaders of both parties.
“If this is true, it’s outrageous. I will get to the bottom of this,” tweeted Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).
A number of lawmakers offered members of the National Guard to stay in their offices, including freshman Representative Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.).
The guardsmen were reportedly allowed back into the Capitol Building later on Thursday.
“Just made a number of calls and have been informed Capitol Police have apologized to the Guardsmen and they will be allowed back into the complex tonight,” added Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), who lost both of her legs in combat. “I’ll keep checking to make sure they are.”
A spokesman for the National Guard told Politico that Capitol Police had merely asked the guardsmen to move as a result of “increased foot traffic” in the Capitol Building.
“As Congress is in session and increased foot traffic and business is being conducted, Capitol Police asked the troops to move their rest area. They were temporarily relocated to the Thurgood Marshall Judicial Center garage with heat and restroom facilities. We remain an agile and flexible force to provide for the safety and security of the Capitol and its surrounding areas. The Guard is reviewing the request so that logistics and schedules can be adjusted,” the spokesman said.
Texas Governor Greg Abbot called for his state’s National Guard to go back home.
There was a large National Guard presence in D.C. this week due to Wednesday’s inauguration, with lawmakers fearing riots and violence from the Right after the January 6 breach of the Capitol. It turns out their fears were misguided; the real Inauguration Day violence and destruction came from the Left, with Antifa rioting and burning down property in places such as Portland and Seattle.
But that didn’t stop Democrats from suggesting that white male members of the National Guard posed a possible insider threat, since most of that demographic voted for Donald Trump over Joe Biden in the 2020 election.
Ultimately, what the Left wants is a total purge of the military by either reeducating or kicking out service men and women who hold “far-right” views.
A recent article at establishment outlet Politico claims that the Defense Department is currently “confronting a resurgence of white supremacy and other right-wing ideologies in the ranks” and calls on the Pentagon to tackle the issue head-on because “former military personnel played a role in the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol last week.”
There appears to be support within the Pentagon for the Left’s war on alleged right-wing radicalism in the military. “We don’t tolerate extremists in our ranks. That’s the bottom line,” said chief spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman. “And we haven’t.”
Though members of the military generally trend conservative in their political beliefs, that may change drastically if the Biden administration gets its way.
