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Twelve National Guard Troops Removed From Inauguration Duty After FBI Finds Far-Right Links

Twelve National Guard Troops Removed From Inauguration Duty After FBI Finds Far-Right Links

The members were found to have connections with militias or organisations and some had posted extremist content online.

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

Twelve members of the National Guard have been stood down from their duties for Joe Biden's inauguration.

Washington D.C. is swarming with thousands troops after the riots at the Capitol earlier this month and their job is to make sure Biden becomes the 46th President of the United States without issue.

The FBI has been conducting a review of every National Guard member stationed in the nation's capital to make sure they don't have any murky backgrounds.

PA

Lieutenant General Marc Sasseville, vice chief of the National Guard Bureau, told NPR how important it was that Washington D.C. was the safest place in America.

"There is no room for extremism in our ranks. I don't think I have to say that, but I will anyway. All the men and women that have joined the National Guard have a deep desire to serve, and they're proud of their service. The kind of vetting that's actually happening now is routine for inaugurations.

"We're doing an extra level of scrutiny to make sure that we have that extra layer of protection. We don't have any signalling or indications that there is a problem, but we just want to be on the safe side."

The FBI has now vetted every single troop that will be stationed in Washington D.C. and have discovered 12 troops had far-right links.

As a result, they have been stood down from covering the inauguration.

PA

Two US officials have told the Associated Press the members had relations to right-wing militias or organisations, or had posted extremist views online. AP initially reported only two had links to right-wing ideologies, however later updated that to 12.

No further details were provided about what groups or what the content was that was posted.

The National Guard said in a statement: "Due to operational security, we do not discuss the process nor the outcome of the vetting process for military members supporting the inauguration."

The FBI is confident there wasn't any threat to Joe Biden's safety, however it was considered best to ensure the troops weren't a part of the 25,000 strong force that will be defending people on the day.

Tensions are high in the capital ahead of Biden's inauguration after five people were killed and dozens were injured in the Capitol riots on January 6.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: joe biden, News, US News