WASHINGTON (AP) – Capitol Police have asked members of the National Guard to continue the security of the US Capitol for two more months, The Associated Press has learned. Defense officials say the new proposal is under review by the Pentagon.
The request underscores ongoing concerns about security and the potential for violence in the Capitol, two months after rioters forcibly entered the building, killing five people. And it’s because law enforcement around the Capitol on Thursday was on high alert after intelligence officials discovered a “possible plot” by a militia to storm the building.
The potential plot is linked to the far-right conspiracy theory promoted by QAnon supporters that former President Donald Trump will return to power on March 4, the original day of the presidential inauguration.
U.S. Representative Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., Said she heard the request for a 60-day extension was made in the past 36 hours and that the Guard is now seeking volunteers from states across the country to meet the need to provide.
Defense officials confirmed that the request is pending at the Pentagon and that the Guard has begun monitoring states for the availability of their troops, in an effort to be prepared when final approval from the Department of Defense is given. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
The more than 5,000 members of the Guard currently in Washington, DC, will all go home on March 12 to end the mission.
Slotkin said some members of Congress were concerned about whether there is a solid plan to provide security for members and staff in the future.
“We want to know what the plan is,” she said. “None of us like to look at the railings, the gates, the uniformed presence around the Capitol. We cannot depend on the National Guard for our safety. ”
She said there should be a plan that provides the necessary security for the buildings and staff by Capitol Police and local law enforcement. Slotkin said it said House members were rushing to get important votes on Wednesday so they wouldn’t have to be in the building where many violent rioters fled in January. Lawmakers, she said, “don’t feel completely safe” in the Capitol.
U.S. Capitol Police officials have also told Congressional leaders that the barbed-wire fence around the Capitol should remain in place for several more months.
However, Slotkin said she went to her office on Thursday to work. “I’m not going to be put off by these guys,” she said.