Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott each ordered their National Guard troops to leave Washington, D.C. after reports emerged that soldiers were staying inside a parking garage near the Capitol building.
Last night, I ordered our Adjutant General to bring Florida National Guard soldiers home from the National Capital Region.
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) January 22, 2021
I have instructed General Norris to order the return of the Texas National Guard to our state. @TexasGuard
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) January 22, 2021
“They’re soldiers,” DeSantis told Fox News during an interview. “They’re not Nancy Pelosi’s servants. And this comes on the backend of them trying to investigate the backgrounds of our guardsmen … This is a half-cocked mission at this point.”
The troops had been told to leave the U.S. Capitol and other congressional buildings Thursday evening, according to Politico. The U.S. Capitol Police ordered the National Guard troops to move to the Thurgood Marshall Judicial Center parking garage, according to Fox News.
However, Acting USCP Chief Yogananda Pittman released a statement claiming the Capitol Police did not order the National Guard to leave the Capitol building.
“The United States Capitol police did not instruct the National Guard to vacate the Capitol Building facilities,” Pittman said. “And on Inauguration Day, the Guard was notified and encouraged to reoccupy the spaces in the Capitol and CVC at 2 p.m.”
Pittman claimed the National Guard has now been “relocated” inside the Capitol building. (RELATED: ‘What The Hell?’: Tucker Carlson Responds To Rep Steve Cohen’s ‘Grotesque’ Comments On Racial, Gender Makeup Of National Guard)
“As of this morning, all Guardsmen and women have been relocated to space within the Capitol Complex,” Pittman continued. “The Department is also working with the Guard to reduce the need for sleeping accommodations by establishing shorter shifts, and will ensure they have access to the comfortable accommodations they absolutely deserve when the need arises.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called the situation “outrageous” and vowed to make sure it does not happen in the future.
We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the members of the National Guard and everyone who worked to keep us all safe on January 6th and in the days since.
This was outrageous. We made sure this was fixed immediately, and this will never happen again. https://t.co/9OdC1ykzg1
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) January 22, 2021
About 25,000 National Guard troops had been stationed in the nation’s capitol as added security for President Joe Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20. The increased security came after a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol building on Jan. 6.