Conn. National Guard sending 3 to Washington for inauguration

Three members of Connecticut’s National Guard, experts on weapons of mass destruction, will head to Washington, D.C., as part of a multistate force preparing for possible civil unrest during Joe Biden’s inauguration.

The U.S. Senate and House are set Wednesday to certify the Electoral College votes that gave the former vice president a clear win over President Donald Trump.

Trump is expected to attend protests, and has encouraged his supporters to attend. Authorities are also preparing for possible clashes at the inauguration in part because Trump has not conceded the election.

Several groups are expected to protest in the nation’s capital on Wednesday, including the far-right Proud Boys, as well as Permits Women For America First, the Eighty Percent Coalition and The Silent Majority.

“Big protest in D.C. on January 6th,” the president said on Twitter. “Be there, will be wild!”

The three Connecticut residents are part of a much larger force intended to be there for the inauguration,

National Guard Capt. David Pytlik said.

“A lot of different states are sending people down,” he said. “This just happens to be what we’re providing.”

The mayor of Washington D.C. requested the forces to augment local National Guard troops. That request was approved by Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy.

Pitnick declined to identify the three service members being sent down before their deployment due to “operational security” concerns, but said they would be aiding the local civil support team.