Virginia Governor Ralph Northam (D-VA) will send National Guard members and state troopers to neighboring Washington, D.C., where a group of Trump supporters has stormed the U.S. Capitol building and halted the day’s congressional proceedings.
Northam said he was sending troops at the request of Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser, and would send 200 Virginia state troopers along with the National Guard.
My team and I are working closely with @MayorBowser, @SpeakerPelosi, and @SenSchumer to respond to the situation in Washington, D.C.
Per the Mayor’s request, I am sending members of the Virginia National Guard along with 200 Virginia State Troopers.
— Ralph Northam (@GovernorVA) January 6, 2021
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said only minutes later that President Donald Trump had ordered the National Guard to respond to the developing situation in Washington, D.C. However, Defense Department and Trump administration officials reportedly told The New York Times it was Vice President Mike Pence who approved the deployment of the National Guard.
At President @realDonaldTrump’s direction, the National Guard is on the way along with other federal protective services.
We reiterate President Trump’s call against violence and to remain peaceful.
— Kayleigh McEnany (@PressSec) January 6, 2021
Washington Post reporter Dan Lamothe, citing a Department of Defense official, reports that the entire D.C. National Guard will be activated. The D.C. National Guard consists of about 1,100 people, of which 340 were already on duty at the day’s start, he reported.
The full force of the D.C. National Guard, however, will take several hours to respond, with Lamothe noting that many have other jobs or live in areas well outside the city.
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