SC National Guard troops head to US Capitol to deter repeat of riots, violence

Some 650 soldiers from the S.C. National Guard are being deployed to help guard the U.S. Capitol and surrounding areas in Washington, D.C., during the upcoming presidential inauguration week, state Guard officials announced Friday.

Local Guard officials indicated soldiers will carry weapons where appropriate.

“National Guard members will be postured to meet the requirements of the supported civil authorities, up to and including protective equipment and being armed, if necessary. The public’s safety is our top priority,” said S.C. National Guard public affairs director, Capt. Jessica Donnelly.

“Civilian law enforcement is responsible for the safety and security of all personnel during the inaugural events. To date, the National Guard is being asked to provide crowd control, parking coordination, and logistical support,” she said.

The deployed soldiers are trained to do a variety of jobs. “We call them general purpose,” Donnelly said.

South Carolina’s troops are part of some 25,000 troops being mobilized from all 50 states and three territories, including Puerto Rico, the National Guard Bureau said late Friday.

The soldiers are being sent to the nation’s capital in the wake of the Jan. 6 riots, when a mob — many of them carrying Trump flags and wearing Trump clothing — stormed the Capitol building and shut down Congress, forcing lawmakers to flee.

President Trump on social media had encouraged supporters to attend the “Save America” rally to “stop the steal” by urging Vice President Mike Pence from carrying out a constitutionally mandated tally of Electoral College votes during a joint session of Congress. The rioters failed, but a Capitol police officer was killed and four other people died. Dozens of police were injured. Pence and Congress confirmed Biden as the president-elect.

Since then, the FBI and other security agencies have been in a heightened state of alert about possible extremist violence in Washington. Many of Trump’s supporters were misled by his baseless claims, as well as by claims on social media that Biden and Democrats stole the election from the president. But no evidence has been produced to support those claims, which have been rejected by dozens of courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court and Trump’s now former attorney general, William Barr. Trump was impeached Wednesday for inciting the violence by his baseless claims he won the election. The U.S. Senate is the body that will try and decide whether he’s guilty of the charge.

Members of the Guard began leaving for Washington on Thursday. The date of their return is not being made public due to operational security concerns. They will work in support of the District of Columbia National Guard and local civilian authorities.

In Washington, the Secret Service will be the coordinating federal agency.

In June, about 450 S.C. National Guard soldiers were deployed to Washington to help provide security in the wake of unrest over the death of George Floyd, an African-American, while in custody of Minneapolis police. Floyd’s death, caught on a cell phone, caused protests across the nation.

Army Maj. Gen. R. Van McCarty, the adjutant general for South Carolina, said in a press release, “Our Soldiers and Airmen have been actively supporting the COVID-19 response efforts in the state for more than 300 days and now we will also be joining other states and territories in our nation’s capital in support of the Presidential Inauguration.”