U.S. defense officials say they are worried about an insider attack or other threat from service members involved in securing President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, prompting the FBI to vet all of the 25,000 National Guard troops coming into Washington for the event, AP reports.
While the military routinely reviews service members for extremist connections, the FBI screening is in addition to any previous monitoring. The massive undertaking reflects the extraordinary security concerns that have gripped Washington following the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol by pro-Trump rioters, which began after the President made incendiary remarks at the rally. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told The Associated Press on Sunday that service members from across the military were at that rally, but it’s not clear how many were there or who may have participated in the breach at the Capitol. So far only a couple of current active-duty or National Guard members have been arrested in connection with the Capitol assault.
The Secret Service is in charge of event security at the inauguration, but there will be a wide variety of military and law enforcement personnel involved, ranging from the National Guard and the FBI to Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department, U.S. Capitol Police and U.S. Park Police. There will be at least two and a half times the number of National Guard troops as there were for previous inaugurals and the bulk of them will be armed.
The threats against Biden’s inauguration have been fueled by supporters of President Donald Trump, far-right militants, white supremacists and other radical groups. Many believe Trump’s baseless accusations that the election was stolen from him, a claim that has been refuted by many courts, the Justice Department and Republican officials in key battleground states.
The major security concern is an attack by armed groups of individuals, as well as planted explosives and other devices. Intelligence reports suggest that groups are organizing armed rallies leading up to Inauguration Day, and possibly after that.
The key goal is for America’s transfer of power to happen without incident.
“This is a national priority. We have to be successful as an institution,” said McCarthy. “We want to send the message to everyone in the United States and to the rest of the world that we can do this safely and peacefully.”
