Troops involved in Capitol riot? Duckworth calls on Pentagon to investigate under military law.

WASHINGTON – Sen. Tammy Duckworth called on the Pentagon Monday to investigate whether troops or veterans participated in the Capitol riot Jan. 6 and hold them accountable under military law.

In a letter to acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller, Duckworth, DIll., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, asked that military criminal investigators determine whether service members or veterans “engaged in insurrection or participated in a seditious conspiracy” when they attacked the Capitol as Congress formalized President- elect Joe Biden’s victory.

“Our Nation must demonstrate resolve and resilience in bringing the neo- Nazis, white supremacists and conspiracy theorists who formed this mob to justice,” Duckworth wrote. “This includes addressing deeply troubling reports that members of the U. S. Armed Forces” and veterans took part in the mayhem that resulted in five deaths.

Rep. Jason Crow, D- Colo., also asked Pentagon officials to determine whether current or former members of the military were involved in the attack.

Rioting at the Capitol, Duckworth wrote, would violate the pledge troops take to defend the Constitution and be a “disgraceful insult” to the majority of troops who serve honorably.

“Upholding good order and discipline demands that the U. S. Armed Forces root out extremists that infiltrate the military and threaten our national security,” wrote Duckworth, an Iraq War veteran.

Crow, a former Army Ranger, said he spoke with Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy on Sunday and was told that “at least 25 domestic terrorism cases have been opened as a result of the assault on the Capitol.”

The Pentagon was asked to review all members of the security detail for Biden’s inauguration Jan. 20 to ensure they are “not sympathetic to domestic terrorists,” Crow said.