- A Pentagon spokesperson mentioned the vetting went past ties to extremist teams.
- The vetting has been happening since final week.
- FBI can also be working to see if any present service members took half within the January 6 riots.
Pentagon officers on Tuesday mentioned {that a} dozen members of the US Nationwide Guard have been eliminated forward of President-elect Joe Biden’s inaugural ceremony after tight scrutiny, which included screening for potential ties to right-wing extremism.
A Pentagon spokesperson mentioned the vetting went past ties to extremist teams. One Guard member was faraway from obligation after troubling textual content messages and one other had been reported to a tip line, Military Basic Daniel Hokanson, chief of the Nationwide Guard Bureau, instructed reporters.
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“We are, out of an abundance of caution, taking action and immediately removing them from the line of duty at the Capitol and the events taking place,” mentioned Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman.
On Sunday, appearing Protection Secretary Chris Miller mentioned the FBI was helping the US navy in vetting greater than 25,000 Nationwide Guard troops being deployed to help in defending the US Capitol for potential safety issues forward of Wednesday’s inauguration of Biden.
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The vetting has been happening since final week, and the FBI can also be working to see if any present service members took half within the January 6 riot on the US Capitol by supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump.
Final week, the Virginia Nationwide Guard mentioned that Jacob Fracker, an off-duty police officer charged in reference to the violent riots on the Capitol, was a corporal within the state’s Guard and serves as an infantryman.