The banishment of hundreds of National Guard troops deployed to Washington, D.C., to a parking garage on Thursday night (Jan. 21) continued to create an uproar through yesterday. At least three state’s governors—of Texas, Florida and New Hampshire—announced on Twitter that they were calling their troops back home. Florida Gov. Ron Desantis, during an appearance on Fox News the morning of Jan. 22, called the mission “half-cocked” and said “They are soldiers; they are not Nancy Pelosi’s servants.”
Meanwhile, everyone from the National Guard to the leaders of both houses of Congress are blaming the U.S. Capitol Police for taking authority it didn’t have to eject the Guard troops out of the Congressional office buildings and into parking garages. Acting police chief Yogananda Pittman, however, posted a statement denying that the police were responsible, a denial which was apparently not taken seriously by anyone.
Aside from their treatment, Guard troops were also concerned that the conditions in which they’ve been working are facilitating the spread of the COVID-19 virus. One Guardsman told Military Times that some soldiers were able to get the first round of the COVID vaccine but not all of them, and that they were told that there were already 50-100 positive cases of COVID among the troops. Politico reported yesterday that the Guards has been struggling with COVID-19 testing for its troops and that hundreds have already tested positive. Troops and lawmakers alike worry that the deployment is becoming a superspreader event.
