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National Guard deploying at least 10K troops to DC

By FOX 5 Digital Team
Published  January 11, 2021 1:46pm EST
Washington, D.C.
Associated Press

DC officials securing capital before Inauguration day

DC officials are looking at additional security measures leading up to Inauguration Day in the wake of the mayhem that erupted on Capitol Hill last week.

WASHINGTON - The head of the National Guard says at least 10,000 troops will be deployed in D.C. by Saturday, and an additional 5,000 could be requested from other states.

READ MORE: Non-scalable fence erected around Capitol as more National Guard members arrive in DC

There are currently 6,200 Guard members in the city from D.C. and five nearby states. The increase in requests for Guard members on Monday comes as officials brace for more, possibly violent protests surrounding the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.

READ MORE: Former Capitol Police Chief speaks on Capitol riot in first on-camera interview since attack

Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, told reporters that he has authorization to bring in up to 15,000 Guard members. He said the number of deployments is changing by the hour and day, based on requests from the Secret Service, the Park Police and the Capitol Police.

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There have been repeated questions about why Guard members weren’t brought in more quickly as the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol unfolded on Wednesday. Guard officials have said they responded as quickly as they could as the situation spiraled out of control but said the Capitol Police repeatedly turned down offers for help in the days before the protests.