Armed Services leaders ‘deeply troubled’ by military presence at Capitol

The Democratic and Republican leaders of the US House Armed Services Committee have called for a reduction in the deployment of National Guard troops at the Capitol after the January 6 attack, saying they are “deeply troubled” by the continued heavy military presence around Congress.

The bipartisan plea was made by House Armed Services Committee Chair Democrat Adam Smith and ranking member Republican Mike Rogers after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin gave the green light to a US Capitol Police request for nearly 2,300 Guardsmen to remain through late May.

On January 6, a group of mobs supporting former President Donald Trump launched a deadly assault on the US Capitol, disrupting briefly the certification of the last November’s election results.

Security measures were tightened in Washington following the deadly assault on the Capitol. Fences topped with razor wire and checkpoints manned by the National Guard were set up there.

More than 5,000 Guard members are currently present at the Capitol after they were sent to the site to assist law enforcement officers to contain the violent raid on Congress. The deployment was set to end this month before it was extended.

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In a joint statement, Smith and Rogers demanded a "measured drawdown" of the Guard deployment and warned of added costs for the Pentagon and erosion of combat readiness in the wake of keeping troops at the Capitol for a longer period.

"We are deeply troubled by the current level of security around the United States Capitol," Smith and Rogers said in a joint statement, adding that more than two months after the 6th January events, the Capitol “remains heavily protected by guardsmen and surrounded by a perimeter fence.”

"In addition, we cannot ignore the financial costs associated with this prolonged deployment, nor can we turn a blind eye to the effects it will soon have on the National Guard’s overall readiness," Smith and Rogers added.

The two high-profile Congressmen, whose committee oversees operations policies for the US military, said the time has come to review what level of security was required and that was better for the rest of troops to return home.

"We appreciate our guardsmen answering the call to protect the Capitol, but it’s time for us to review what level of security is required, so they can return home to their families and communities," they underlined.

The original Guard deployment deadline was scheduled to expire on March 12 but the additional extension would have them stationed at Congress to guard the building until May 23.

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Moreover, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell slammed this week the heightened security measures around Congress as an overreaction.

“We’ve overdone it,” McConnell told reporters on Wednesday. “I’m extremely uncomfortable with the fact that my constituents can’t come to the Capitol. There’s all this razor wire around the complex."

On the day of the attack, and before the raid was carried out, Trump told his loyalists in Washington, DC to show their support for him and asked them to "stop the steal" as lawmakers were in the process of confirming his defeat. Trump has been claiming to this day that he won the election and that it was stolen from him.

The assault, which left five people dead, including a member of law enforcement, prompted a historic second impeachment trial against Trump, but the Republican-controlled Senate acquitted the former president.

So far, more than 300 individuals from the mob have been charged on criminal counts ranging from conspiracy to attacking police and obstructing Congress.

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