Dozen National Guardsmen Pulled From Biden Inauguration Security Detail

Two National Guard soldiers assigned to Washington, D.C., ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration have been removed over “inappropriate” posts or texts about the event, officials said Tuesday. Ten additional National Guard members have also been pulled from the Capitol security detail, though for reasons unrelated to the Jan. 6 insurrection. The Associated Press reported that all 12 troops had expressed extremist views online or else been tied to far-right militias, though the story did not identify which state the Guard members were from, nor what militia groups they were allegedly involved with.

At least one of the 12 individuals removed from the assignment was flagged by way of a tip line, Pentagon officials said at a Tuesday briefing.

On Monday, Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller said there was “no intelligence indicating an insider threat” to Wednesday’s inauguration ceremony, but added that law enforcement would be vetting National Guard personnel. A senior National Guard official suggested the vetting process amounted to the FBI canvassing social-media posts.

—with additional reporting by Spencer Ackerman and Erin Banco