About 24 states say they'll send National Guard troops to DC for vote certification and inauguration [View all]
Source: AP
Updated 7:24 PM EST, November 4, 2024
WASHINGTON (AP) — More than two dozen states have indicated they would be willing to send National Guard troops to Washington if requested in the weeks following the presidential election and in the runup to the inauguration, Guard officials said Monday.
The District of Columbia has not yet made any formal requests for Guard troops, but officials across the government have been preparing for the possibility that the U.S. Capitol could once again be rocked by violence around the certification of the election by Congress on Jan. 6 and the inauguration two weeks later.
About 25,000 Guard troops from around the country flooded into Washington in the days after the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, riot, when thousands of supporters of then-President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol in an effort to prevent Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s win. The troops, along with local and federal law enforcement, locked down the city for the inauguration, securing the Capitol, monuments, Metro entrances and the perimeter of the central part of the city.
Speaking to reporters Monday, Col. Jean Paul Laurenceau, chief of future operations for the National Guard Bureau, said it is not yet clear how many Guard troops will be needed or requested this year. He said it will depend on what the District of Columbia wants, but he noted that the National Guard Bureau and the states are leaning forward in anticipation of a request for assistance.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/election-2024-national-guard-troops-inauguration-7e7d48f45273106867f4d420f64a20a9
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