The U.S. Capitol Police announced on Thursday that it has requested the Department of Defense to have the National Guard’s support at the Capitol extended beyond March 12.
The formal request came from Yogananda Pittman, the Capitol Police acting chief.
“The current mission is scheduled to end on March 12, and the Michigan National Guard, along with many others, will get to return home,” she continued. “No one likes seeing the fortress-like security around the Capitol. And no one wants to again have a security problem in and around this symbolic place.
“But whether an extension has been requested or the mission is indeed terminating on March 12, it’s critical that members of Congress get a briefing on what’s behind these decisions. We all have the same goal: to get back to the point where Capitol Police is capable of protecting us without the Guard’s help, and all parties feel confident we can protect the people’s business.”
The Capitol Police did not immediately respond The Epoch Times’ request for comment on Slotkin’s statement.
Conspiracy theories were circulating on social media platforms prior to the day suggesting that former President Donald Trump would return as the president on Thursday to reclaim power.
Inauguration Day used to be March 4 under the U.S. Constitution, until the passage of the 20th Amendment in 1933, which moved the date to Jan. 20.
She also said that the National Guard troops at the U.S. Capitol may remain “as long as they are needed,” following a report that said the Capitol Police requested the Guard to stay in place for two more months.
Thousands of National Guard members remain stationed at the Capitol. They were deployed after the Jan. 6 Capitol breach, and more than 20,000 were reportedly on hand during the Jan. 20 inauguration of President Joe Biden.
At the same time, officials also set up a non-scalable fence topped with razor wire around the Capitol facility.