National Guard members are currently being screened by the US law enforcement agencies to make sure they do not pose a security risk during President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, a four-star general said in comments broadcast Sunday.
The decision follows the January 6 riots at the Capitol building in support of outgoing President Donald Trump. Reports say that some of those involved had current or former ties to the military.
Head of the National Guard Bureau, General Daniel Hokanson, was asked by CBS News on Sunday if troops were being checked as they arrived in Washington.
“In coordination with the Secret Service and the FBI, they’re screening all the personnel that are coming in,” Hokanson said.
Much of Washington resembles a fortified compound in a war zone, with most of the downtown area blocked off, security fences topped by razor wire and about 25,000 National Guard troops deployed to the capital.
