National Guard Troops to Remain in DC Through End of January

DC National Guard personnel stand outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. John Minchillo/AP Photo

National Guard personnel will remain in Washington through the end of the month, officials said on Jan. 7.

The Maryland National Guard will stay in the nation’s capitol until the end of January, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan told reporters during a press conference.

“Today, we are extending the Maryland National Guard’s mission in Washington, D.C. through the inauguration and the end of the month,” he said.

Hogan, a Republican, and Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat, sent National Guard troops to the city after protesters stormed the Capitol building.

Northam said in a tweet that Virginia National Guard forces will be in Washington through at least Jan. 20.

He said the extension is “based on conversations this morning with our emergency teams and Washington D.C.”

Jan. 20 is Inauguration Day. President-elect Joe Biden is slated to be sworn into office after Congress certified him as the winner of the 2020 election on Jan. 7.

Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said the entire D.C. National Guard has been mobilized and that support has come from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and New York in addition to Maryland and Virginia.

Top: Workers begin to clean up the debris and damage caused by protesters, in the Capitol building in Washington on Jan. 7, 2021. Samuel Corum/Getty Images

Workers begin to clean up the debris and damage caused by protestors at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington on Jan. 7, 2021. Samuel Corum/Getty Images

There will be 6,200 guardsmen in the nation’s Capitol by the weekend, he told reporters during a briefing in Washington. That force will remain available through the inauguration.

More than 150 personnel were on Capitol grounds the morning of Jan. 7, with plans to increase the number to 850 by noon. Personnel were erecting a seven-foot “non-scalable fence” around the perimeter of the grounds.

The personnel and security measures will be in place for at least 30 days.

Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, imposed a curfew after protesters entered the Capitol building. She later declared a state of emergency.

Officials said 68 people were arrested on Jan. 6 and early Jan. 7, including 41 on Capitol grounds, with all but one coming from outside the city. The charges included curfew violation, unlawful entry, possession of a prohibited weapon, and carrying a pistol without a license, according to arrest data.

Fifty-six officers were injured during the mayhem.

The FBI is asking for the public’s help in identifying anyone who breached the Capitol.