Former President Trump has reportedly offered to let the National Guardsmen still stationed at the Capitol stay at his Trump Hotel in Washington D.C.
“Trump has given permission for the troops to stay at Trump Hotel DC if any of them need, an advisor told the One America News Network.
SCOOP: Trump has given permission for the troops to stay at Trump Hotel DC if any of them need, per advisor @OANN
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) January 22, 2021
As American Greatness previously reported, some 5,000 Guardsmen were moved to the parking garage after being told that they were no longer allowed to rest in certain designated rest areas of the Capitol complex, including the visitors’ center and the cafeteria.” The soldiers were forced to bunk in an unheated space in 38-degree temperatures with only one small bathroom and one electrical outlet.
The troops were told to evacuate the Capitol building grounds on Thursday, after a Democrat congressman complained about one National Guard member not wearing a mask at a cafe in the building, according to Breitbart.
According to a source, Rep. Will Keating (D-MA) reported to the Capitol building authorities earlier in the day that a National Guardsman was seen in a Dunkin Donuts without a mask on.
After Keating commented out loud that masks were required to be worn at all times in a federal building, the National Guard member responded, “I appreciate my freedom,” according to the source.
National Guard commanders are now looking for the National Guard member, according to the source.
This is the rep who reportedly got the Nat Guard sent to the parking garage because a couple soldiers were not wearing a mask while at a Dunkin Donuts. Keating appears to have a history with this stuff. https://t.co/iBsaYBnvXc
— Jordan Schachtel @ dossier.today (@JordanSchachtel) January 22, 2021
Several members of the Guard said that they felt “betrayed,” and that they were essentially “deemed useless and banished to a corner of a parking garage.”
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle expressed outrage at the decision, including Republican Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah), Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Democratic Senator Kyrsten Sinema (R-Ariz.), and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).
National Guard troops, who were forced out of the U.S. Capitol that they'd been using for rest breaks and relocated to a nearby garage, are back at Capitol.https://t.co/KHnpqOKbMt pic.twitter.com/viZPBtYyrH
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) January 22, 2021
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY.) promised that it “will never happen again.”
https://twitter.com/alanhe/status/1352622326999883782?s=20
Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Schumer—why are American troops who are tasked with keeping security at the Capitol being forced to sleep in a parking lot?
They deserve to be treated with respect, and we deserve answers. pic.twitter.com/J0R2dRC8bM
— Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) January 22, 2021
Graham vowed on Twitter to “get to the bottom” of how the outrageous situation was allowed to happen.
Like many other Members of Congress, I will make sure we get to the bottom of how our National Guard soldiers were relegated to the parking garage. Those who made this decision need to be held accountable.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 22, 2021
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy also demanded answers.
Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Schumer—why are American troops who are tasked with keeping security at the Capitol being forced to sleep in a parking lot?
They deserve to be treated with respect, and we deserve answers. pic.twitter.com/J0R2dRC8bM
— Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) January 22, 2021
There was swift backlash over a plan to move some National Guard troops out of the Capitol + into a nearby parking garage. Lawmakers expressed outrage after these images of troops resting on the ground went viral + Capitol Police have responded. pic.twitter.com/dkYPeZhPaJ
— Catherine Herridge (@C__Herridge) January 22, 2021
The Capitol Police said the order to move to the parking garage didn’t come from them.
Capitol Police: We didn’t order National Guard troops to move to parking garage https://t.co/tLltXiah9k pic.twitter.com/30A8smWsY8
— Air Force Times (@AirForceTimes) January 22, 2021
The Republican governors of Florida, Texas and New Hampshire have announced that they are calling their National Guard troops back from the Capitol.
Gov. Chris Sununu has ordered the immediate return of all New Hampshire National Guard troops following reports service members had to sleep in an unheated garage. https://t.co/oqmSJ43WQn
— WBZ NewsRadio (@wbznewsradio) January 22, 2021
I have instructed General Norris to order the return of the Texas National Guard to our state. @TexasGuard
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) January 22, 2021
Last night, I ordered our Adjutant General to bring Florida National Guard soldiers home from the National Capital Region.
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) January 22, 2021
“These folks are soldiers. They served our country, all around the world, they’ve served our state Florida after natural disasters, they’re serving right now, helping with vaccinating senior citizens and they’ve been on the front lines of the Covid fight,” Gov. DeSantis said on Fox and Friends, Friday morning. “They’re soldiers, they’re not Nancy Pelosi’s servants,” he added disdainfully.
The Florida governor noted that this insult comes after the feds vetted National Guard troops for ties to right-wing “extremist” groups.
“This comes on the backend of them trying to investigate the backgrounds of our guardsmen,” DeSantis said, adding that in Florida, “we did not let them go into their political beliefs. I thought that was totally inappropriate—I thought that was very disrespectful for people who are clearly patriots.”
DeSantis went on to call the mission “halfcocked” at this point and said the appropriate thing now “is to bring them home.”
It was an honor to witness Henry Sayler receive his first dose of the vaccine today. Florida is rapidly approaching a monumental milestone of 1 million seniors vaccinated. #SeniorsFirst pic.twitter.com/JoL6N1ybOH
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) January 22, 2021
Update:
Some law enforcement personnel, seen relaxing in the Trump Hotel lounge, appear to have taken Trump on his offer.
This is how President Trump treats our law enforcement and military.
RT! pic.twitter.com/cP914BH7Nh
— Ryan Fournier (@RyanAFournier) January 22, 2021