Joe Biden expresses dismay as US National Guard are forced to sleep in underground car park
Posted
SatSaturday 23
updated
SatSaturday 23
Senator Tim Scott tweeted these images of National Guard troops off duty.
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Images of National Guard soldiers camped in an underground car park after being sent to protect Washington DC sparked new calls for investigations of the US Capitol Police.
Key points:
The National Guard troops were forced to take rest breaks outside the US Capitol
US Capitol Police claimed they did not instruct guardsmen to leave the building, but individual officers contradicted this
Thousands of guardsmen are in Washington DC for the inauguration following the US Capitol riot
Images of National Guard soldiers camped in a cold parking garage after being sent to protect Washington are bringing new calls for investigations of the U.S. Capitol Police.
National Guard forced to sleep in garages, sparking outcry newsday.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from newsday.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Conservative media outlets like Gateway Pundit decried this treatment of soldiers who had reportedly been removed from their original resting area in the Capitol cafeteria and into the nearby parking garage of the Thurgood Marshall Judicial Center. These included soldiers from other states like Maryland.
According to reports from The Washington Post, CNN, and Politico, who interviewed numerous soldiers in the Guard, hundreds of them were banished from Capitol premises and resting areas like a cafeteria in a Senate office building and told to go into a parking garage. No reason was given for their banishment. The cafeteria was used as a place for soldiers to rest in between guard shifts, eat meals, or do other work.
Miscommunication and confusion led to National Guard troops being pushed out of Capitol
A series of miscommunications around an unprecedented security situation left National Guard troops searching for an adequate rest area Thursday night when they were moved from the Capitol into a nearby parking garage.
Guard members ended up having to spend several hours Thursday night resting on the concrete in the parking garage before the mistake was fixed and they were moved back to the Capitol.
The exact chain of events that led to the Guard members moving to the garage is unclear, and by Friday afternoon a series of conflicting explanations and finger pointing only added to the confusion about why the troops were given the impression they were no longer welcome in the Capitol even as their job of protecting it is ongoing.