Leer en Español
The former President of the United States, Donald Trump opened the doors of his hotel in DC to the guards who were evicted from the Capitol.
“We feel incredibly betrayed,” said one of the many military personnel who were kicked out of Congress, after they remained there for two weeks, guarding the facilities for security after the riots of January 6th.
After Politico first reported the fact, many lawmakers protested on Twitter. After that, the guards were allowed to enter the facility again.
According to Politico, “Thousands of National Guards were allowed back into the Capitol Thursday night, hours after U.S. Capitol Police officials ordered them to vacate the facility, sending them outside or to nearby parking lots.”
“One unit, which had been resting in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, was abruptly told to vacate the premises Thursday, according to a guard. The group was forced to rest in a nearby parking lot with no Internet reception, only one electrical outlet and a two-bay bathroom for 5,000 soldiers, the person said. Temperatures in Washington were in the 40s by nightfall,” Politico reported.
“Yesterday, dozens of senators and congresspeople walked through our ranks taking pictures, shaking our hands and thanking us for our service. Within 24 hours, we were no longer wanted and were banished to the corner of a parking lot. We felt incredibly betrayed,” said the guard interviewed by the media.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) tweeted, “If this is true, it’s outrageous. I will get to the bottom of this.”
On the other hand, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-ARK) pointed out that the Capitol complex is still closed to the public, “so there’s plenty of room for the troops to take a break in them.”
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) also weighed in on Twitter citing Politico’s exclusive: “This is wrong. And it must be corrected immediately.”
A couple of hours later, he also quoted Schumer’s first tweet, “If only we knew the Senate Majority Leader …,” the Republican said wryly.
Unclear reasons
It has not yet been clear why Capitol Police asked troops to vacate the facility.
“In a statement, Capitol Police spokeswoman Eva Malecki said the department recently requested that troop shifts be reduced from 12 to 8 hours to allow for additional hours of rest outside the Capitol complex. The statement did not explain why the guards were forced into parking lots,” Politico said.
Still, early Friday, Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman “insisted in a statement that the department ‘did not instruct the National Guard to vacate the Capitol grounds.'”
According to reports, “the guards were not given a clear reason why they were asked to vacate the buildings,” at least those who declared to the press.
Trump opened the doors of his hotel for the evicted guards
After Politico‘s reports went viral, and there is still uncertainty surrounding the large number of guards still guarding the Capitol against any security threat, Donald Trump made his DC hotel available for guards in need.
Jack Posobiec, a veteran Navy intelligence officer, confirmed this on his Twitter account.
Emmanuel Alejandro Rondón is a journalist at El American specializing in the areas of American politics and media analysis // Emmanuel Alejandro Rondón es periodista de El American especializado en las áreas de política americana y análisis de medios de comunicación.
Contacto: [email protected]