Dozen US National Guard members removed from Biden inauguration duty after vetting
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Members of the National Guard patrol the streets on Jan 19, 2021, in Washington, DC.
PHOTO: AFP
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WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - A dozen members of the US National Guard have been removed from duty helping to secure the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden after vetting, which included screening for potential ties to right-wing extremism, Pentagon officials said on Tuesday (Jan 19).
A Pentagon spokesman said the vetting went beyond ties to extremist groups.
A Pentagon spokesman said the vetting went beyond ties to extremist groups.
One Guard member was removed from duty after troubling text messages, while another had been reported to a tip line, Army General Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, told reporters.
On Sunday, Acting Defence Secretary Chris Miller said that the FBI was assisting the US military in vetting more than 25,000 National Guard troops being deployed to assist in protecting the US Capitol for potential security concerns.
The vetting has been going on since last week, and the FBI is also working to see if any attackers from the Jan 6 riot at the US Capitol were current service members.
Last week, the Virginia National Guard said that Jacob Fracker, an off-duty police officer charged in connection with the violent riots at the Capitol, was a corporal in the state's Guard and serves as an infantryman.
