12 National Guard Members Taken Off-Duty
The Claim
A dozen members of the U.S. National Guard have been removed from duty on Inauguration Day due to a possible conflict of interests.
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Emerging story
In light of the recent riots at Washington, D.C., security has been significantly increased from the levels they were at a few weeks ago. 25,000 National Guard members have been stationed in the capitol in addition to local law enforcement order to prevent any potential violence that may occur.
This massive deployment may be some comfort to those who will be present at the inauguration, but it introduces another uncertain factor: what of the Guard members themselves? A vetting process of the deployed troops has resulted in twelve members being taken off duty for the inauguration due to links to far-right political groups, or showing what were deemed to be “extremist” views online.
Many social media users are discussing the members' removal.
Misbar’s Analysis
Some, such as Representative Steve Cohen, have blatantly expressed concerns over the loyalty of National Guard members. His reasoning was that since the National Guard is composed mostly of a demographic which voted mostly for Trump, they “might want to do something.” Cohen’s implication that the President-Elect might face the same fate as former Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, was taken as offensive by many and he has since offered praise to the National Guard for their service.
It is noteworthy that twelve members of the Guard were found to present enough of a potential risk that they were taken off-duty, but it must also be considered that only two of the twelve were removed directly because of comments made about the inauguration. The rest were taken off duty due to issues which were not directly related.
According to the Associated Press, security measures on all levels have been extremely tight and coordinated. Neither the Secret Service nor the National Guard Bureau have been forthcoming on their respective vetting processes, but by all accounts all parties are taking every possible precaution to make sure the inauguration ceremony is as secure as possible. It is unclear whether any further action will be taken in regard to the Guardsmen who were taken off duty.
