Guard to stay at Capitol 2 more months
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has formally approved an extension of the National Guard deployment at the U.S. Capitol for about two more months as possible threats of violence remain, the Pentagon said Tuesday.
According to a statement issued by the department, close to 2,300 Guard troops will continue to provide security in Washington until May
23, at the request of the Capitol Police. Officials have been scrambling in recent days to determine if and how to fill the request, as the original Friday deadline for them to leave Washington loomed.
There are currently about
5,100 Guard troops in Washington, and they were scheduled to leave this weekend. The Pentagon said defense officials will work with the Capitol Police to incrementally reduce the number of Guard members needed in the city as time goes on.
The decision underscores concerns about security at the Capitol, two months after rioters breached the building in an attack that left five people dead. Law enforcement has remained in a heightened security posture in response to intelligence suggesting possible threats to the Capitol.
The request to extend the deployment met resistance last week, as some governors expressed reluctance or flatly refused to commit their troops to more time in the city.
Earlier Tuesday, chief Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the decision on maintaining a Guard presence would be based on local law enforcement concerns along with the needs of the Capitol Police.
Meanwhile, the FBI on Tuesday released new video of a person suspected of placing pipe bombs near the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic national committees the night before the Jan. 6 riot, asking for the public’s help in identifying the elusive figure.
The new footage depicts the person, wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and a mask, in four separate clips. The FBI said it was offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to the person’s location, arrest and conviction.
The bureau asked those who watch it to take note of the person’s “gait, body language, or mannerisms.”
Separately, U.S. prosecutors alleged Monday that Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes was in direct contact before, during and immediately after the Jan. 6 Capitol breach with members since charged with plotting to prevent Congress from confirming the results of the 2020 presidential election.
In a late-night court filing, prosecutors alleged Rhodes directed Oath Keepers to rally during the riot to the southeast steps of the Capitol, after which several members forcibly entered the east side of the building.
Prosecutors said they had recovered a chat called “DC OP: Jan 6 21” on the encrypted Signal messaging app that “shows that individuals, including those alleged to have conspired with [others], were actively planning to use force and violence.”
Prosecutors said chat participants included Rhodes — identified only as “Person One” in the filing but whom prosecutors named in earlier court papers — and two charged Oath Keepers members, Jessica Watkins, 38, an Ohio leader; and Kelly Meggs, 52, of Florida.
U.S. authorities have charged Watkins, Meggs and seven other individuals who appear to be members or associates of the right-wing anti-government group. Charges have been brought against more than 300 defendants, but to date prosecutors led by the U.S. attorney’s office for Washington have not publicly charged anyone other than alleged rioters.
In the court filing, prosecutors said Rhodes, Watkins, Meggs and “regional Oath Keeper leaders from multiple states across the country” discussed plans in the chat for members and affiliates to go to Washington for events on Jan. 5 and 6 to “provide security to speakers and VIPs.”
Rhodes — who has not been charged and whom prosecutors did not name as a conspirator — could not immediately be reached for comment late Monday. He has said that he gave no direction or signals to storm the Capitol.