Dem Rep. Says Trump-Supporting Guardsmen Are ‘Suspect,’ Should Be Vetted as Potential Threat

US
Representative Steve Cohen, a Democrat from Tennessee, speaks during a House Judiciary Committee markup on H.R. 7120, the “Justice in Policing Act of 2020,” in Washington, D.C., June 17, 2020. (Erin Scott/Reuters)

Representative Steve Cohen (D., Tenn.) suggested on Monday that Trump-supporting National Guardsmen should be vetted as potential security threats.

Thousands of National Guard troops are currently stationed in Washington, D.C., to secure Joe Biden’s inauguration. The guardsmen were deployed after a mob of supporters of President Trump rioted in the Capitol on January 6, forcing lawmakers to evacuate.

The FBI is concerned about a potential insider attack on Biden’s inauguration by guardsmen stationed in the Capital. The agency is working with the U.S. Army to vet all guardsmen deployed to protect the inauguration, and have so far not found evidence of an imminent threat.

Cohen said that Trump-supporting guardsmen should be screened to prevent potential assassination attempts, comparing the threat to the assassinations of Egyptian prime minister Anwar Sadat and Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi, who were killed by members of their nations’ armies.

“You’ve got to figure that in the Guard, which is predominantly more conservative” than the general population, “75 percent are in the class that would be in the large class of folks who might want to do something,” Cohen said. “There were military people and police who took oaths to defend the Constitution…who didn’t do it and were in the insurrection.”

While Cohen clarified that he had no evidence that National Guardsmen were plotting to disrupt Biden’s inauguration, he added that Trump-supporting guardsmen would still be “suspect.”

“You draw a circle first, and the first circle is people who voted for Trump and not for Biden, as far as…the zone of people who you’d be suspect of. The suspect group is large,” Cohen said.

As part of the heightened security measures, the National Mall will be closed to the general public throughout this week. At least 10,000 National Guard troops will be deployed to secure the inauguration.

Send a tip to the news team at NR.

Zachary Evans is a news writer for National Review Online. He is a veteran of the Israeli Defense Forces and a trained violist.

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1 Comment

  1. The America we wake up to today, is one of discontent and disillusion, but our spirit still burns strong within all True Patriots!

    We will never back down nor cower in the face of adversity!

    We will always stand up for the truth and fight the good fight!

    Our time to rise is at hand and our Nation is calling upon us to lead them out of this misery!

    The greatest President in the history of our nation since Abraham Lincoln, President Donald J. Trump has said, “We will never concede, especially when theft is involved…,” and that, “This is only the beginning of our Incredible Journey to Make America Great Again.”

    Let us honor President Trump’s words and of the great Abraham Lincoln…

    “We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution.”—Abraham Lincoln

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