Members of the National Guard are helping police officers to stand up as they help police disperse protesters who will gather at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC.
Tasos Katopodis | Getty Images
The DC National Guard will be placed on 30 days to ensure they are ready for the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on January 20, two defense officials told NBC News.
The troops, who are unarmed, will monitor the air traffic control points and support the Capitol police on Thursday while authorities work one day to secure the perimeter of the Capitol building after a mob supporting President Donald Trump stormed it.
About 200 troops with riot gear will be on the streets in the morning and possibly arrive later in the day, one defense official said.
The mobilization comes as the country continues to process the surprise riots in which at least four people were killed on Wednesday. All four of the former presidents condemned the day’s events in which a violent mob disrupted lawmakers from the typically complete process of formally confirming Biden’s victory.
The DC National Guard was mobilized during the riots and about 1,100 troops were sent to help local police suppress the uprising, the Pentagon said. The deployment came after Muriel Bowser, mayor of Washington DC, and Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the House, demanded power, two sources told NBC News.
Virginia Government Ralph Northam, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo have all announced plans to send the National Guard troops to DC.
President Donald Trump, who spoke at a rally to protest the outcome of the election shortly before his supporters entered Congress, did not condemn the riot or condemnation. He urged protesters to remain peaceful after storming the Capitol.
The president has continued to make unfounded allegations of voter fraud, despite the findings of the Justice and Homeland Security departments in his own government. One person familiar with the matter told NBC News that Trump should be persuaded to approve the deployment of the National Guard on Wednesday.
It is typical that the National Guard is present for inaugurations, and more than 7,000 troops have been mobilized for Trump’s inauguration in 2017. It is not clear how much will be used for Biden’s inauguration.
Biden’s inauguration is expected to look very different from previous ceremonies due to public health precautions.
Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will take the oath of office at the Capitol on January 20, but otherwise they have changed the tradition of adapting to the spreading coronavirus pandemic.
The Biden transition team said they commemorate the typical event at the National Mall and the Capitol’s inauguration parade to the White House in a way that allows Americans to participate from home.
Biden condemned the riots Wednesday in a national television speech.
“At this hour, our democracy is under unprecedented attacks,” the former vice president said.
“It’s chaos, it’s bordering on rioting and it should end now. I call this mob to retreat and allow this work of democracy to continue,” Biden added.
The success of the rioters in breaking through police barriers has raised questions about the security measures that will be in place for the inauguration.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Who is on the committee that plans Biden’s inauguration, told CBS News that “there should be important, big overviews of what happened and what changes were made.”
Klobuchar added that the inauguration every four years is an important security event compared to the counting of votes for the electoral college which usually takes place without incident.
“Here they had an event that is usually accompanied by a small historical note,” Klobuchar said.
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