Biden's inauguration: FBI to vet 25,000 National Guard troops
Ahead of United States President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, defense officials are worried about an insider attack from service members. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is now vetting all 25,000 National Guard troops coming into Washington for the inauguration event on January 20. Earlier this month, a crowd of supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump had stormed the US Capitol, raising security concerns.
Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told The Associated Press on Sunday that officials are conscious of a potential threat. McCarthy said he has warned commanders to be vigilant about any problems within their ranks. "We're continually going through the process, and taking second, third looks at every one of the individuals assigned to this operation," said McCarthy after a three-hour security drill for the inauguration.
On Sunday, dozens of military, National Guard, law enforcement, and Washington, DC, officials and commanders went through a security rehearsal in northern Virginia. Apart from addressing concerns over the insider threat, the officials went over every aspect of the city's complicated security lockdown. National Guard Bureau chief Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson said the troops are adequately equipped and prepped.
However, the major security concern remains an attack by an armed group of individuals, as well as planted explosives and other devices. Citing intelligence reports, McCarthy told AP that groups are organizing armed rallies leading up to Wednesday's inauguration, and possibly after that.
Biden, whose victory denied Trump a re-election during the November 2020 polls, is set to take the oath of office on Inauguration Day. About 25,000 members of the National Guard are streaming into Washington for the event. The Secret Service is in charge of event security, however, a wide variety of military and law enforcement personnel are engaged for the event.
Pro-Trump supporters stormed into the US Capitol on January 6, the day the Congress formally counts the votes cast by the Electoral College. Five people died in the ensuing riot, including a Capitol Police officer and a woman shot by cops. McCarthy said military service members were present at the rally, however, it remains unclear if they participated in the Capitol breach.
McCarthy said Guard members are getting training on how to identify potential insider threats. The vetting process began as the first Guard troops were deployed to DC over a week ago, multiple officials told AP. It is expected to be complete by Wednesday. FBI vetting would reportedly involve running peoples' names through databases and watchlists maintained by the bureau to look for anything alarming.
Hokanson told AP, "If there is any indication that any of our soldiers or airmen are expressing things that are extremist views, it is either handed over to law enforcement or dealt with the chain of command immediately."
McCarthy said, "We need to be conscious of it and we need to put all of the mechanisms in place to thoroughly vet these men and women who would support any operations like this." He added, "We want to send the message to everyone in the United States and for the rest of the world that we can do [the inauguration] safely and peacefully."
