After 25,000 National Guardsmen were deployed to D.C. for the inauguration of President Biden, several thousand soldiers were later forced to relocate from the Capitol complex to a nearby parking garage.
While the 100 members of Task Force Mississippi were not among those in the parking garage, the Republican members of Mississippi’s delegation in the House of Representatives have penned a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi demanding an investigation into what led to the soldier’s removal from the complex.
“We ask that an investigation be conducted to determine how and why the decision was made to remove Guardsmen from the Capitol complex and who ordered their removal. The National Guard has honorably served our nation with this crucial assignment, and it is imperative that we address these concerns to ensure accountability,” the letter reads.
In a statement to Politico, Major Matt Murphy, a spokesman for the Guard, stated that Capitol Police instructed the soldiers to move to their “rest area” because of increased foot traffic with Congress back in session. After photos of the soldiers in the garage emerged, outrage ensued from both sides of the aisle and President Biden called the Chief of the Guard to apologize.
Full text of the letter can be seen below:
Dear Speaker Pelosi:
“We write to express our concern about the recent treatment of some members of the National Guard assigned to the United States Capitol complex and ask for an investigation into this matter.
We understand that Guardsmen were asked to leave the Capitol last week and were relegated to taking breaks and sleeping in parking garages. While we are pleased that the National Guard was ordered back to the Capitol and other Congressional office buildings, we are concerned about this initial directive to leave the complex, putting our men and women who have bravely protected our nation’s capital in unsuitable and disrespectful conditions.
We ask that an investigation be conducted to determine how and why the decision was made to remove Guardsmen from the Capitol complex and who ordered their removal. The National Guard has honorably served our nation with this crucial assignment, and it is imperative that we address these concerns to ensure accountability. Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
Sincerely,
Steven Palazzo
Member of Congress
Trent Kelly
Member of Congress
Michael Guest
Member of Congress
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