Chief of the National Guard Bureau announced Tuesday that 12 Guardsmen have been removed from the U.S. Capitol ahead of the presidential inauguration, in part because of suspected far-right extremist ties.
Two National Guard pulled from Biden inauguration duty after vetting
Reuters/Washington
(Reuters file)
One official said possibly more than two Guard members could be removed following vetting.
Two members of the National Guard have been pulled from duties related to the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden following vetting for links to extremist movements, two US officials told Reuters on Tuesday.
Neither of the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, detailed any conclusions of the vetting and it was unclear what information led the Guard members to be pulled. One of the officials said possibly more than two Guard members could be removed following vetting.
On Sunday, acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller said that the FBI was assisting the U.S. military in vetting more than 25,000 National Guard troops being deployed to assist in protecting the U.S. Capitol for potential security concerns.
A dozen members of the U.S. National Guard have been removed from duty helping secure the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden after vetting, which included screening for potential ties to right-wing extremism, Pentagon officials said on Tuesday.