WASHINGTON — Defense leaders are reviewing restrictions on the use of force by National Guard members and could allow troops to carry batons or guns in Washington, D.C., as they brace for more protests and possible violence around the Jan. 20 inaugural, The Associated Press has learned.
Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told The AP on Friday that any changes will be determined by the intelligence gathered in the coming days about potential threats.
Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told a small group of Pentagon reporters Friday that he and acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller acted immediately to authorize a National Guard tactical response to the Capitol siege by pro-Trump rioters Wednesday, flatly rejecting a claim by Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan that such requests were denied or delayed.
“There was tremendous confusion. What is the situation? No one could give you adequate situational awareness,” a visibly exhausted McCarthy told journalists in the media room at the Pentagon Friday morning.
“I was in the heat of taking back the Capitol,” he said. “We were literally running
Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said 6,200 National Guardsmen will help ensure that President-elect Joe Biden is inaugurated Jan. 20 without civil unrest like that seen Wednesday, when the Capitol building was overtaken by pro-Trump rioters.
“We need to ensure that President Biden has an inauguration and sends a message to the world, a peaceful transition of power, and he gets in the seat, and he gets to work,” McCarthy told a small group of Pentagon journalists Friday morning.
“We’re going to ensure that this capital is safe. We’re working with the federal law enforcement agencies to do that,” said McCarthy,