The Maine National Guard is sending up to 200 men and women to Washington, D.C., as military leaders prepare for another wave of potential violence led by right-wing extremists and supporters of President Trump seeking to disrupt the peaceful transition of power to President-elect Joe Biden.
Gov. Janet Mills authorized the deployment of National Guard troops to help support security measures that are being put in place to protect Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in the days leading up to the Jan. 20 inauguration, according to a news release issued Wednesday by the Maine Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management.
Mills’ decision comes just one week after a mob of right-wing extremists, white supremacists and Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol threatening the safety of Vice President Mike Pence and Congressional members, and vandalizing the halls of Congress. Five people, including one Capitol police officer, died as a result of the riot.
The FBI on Sunday warned state and local police in all 50 states that armed protests were being planned at every state capitol in the United States. The protests could begin as soon as Saturday and could last through Jan. 20, according to the FBI bulletin obtained by ABC News.
The Maine National Guard said the decision to provide security support in Washington was made after Gen. Daniel Hokanson, U.S. Army Chief of the National Guard Bureau, asked states and territories to provide assistance to the federal law enforcement agencies and the District of Columbia National Guard.
“The National Guard has been supporting inaugural activities since the founding of our country, and Maine is no exception,” Major General Douglas Farnham, Maine’s adjutant general, said in a statement. “We’re proud to join our brothers and sisters from across the country to support the peaceful transition of power and ensure the safety and well-being of our fellow Americans.”
The contingent of Maine soldiers, who have not yet left for Washington, will be among many units deployed to the nation’s capital, the news release said. Six states and the District of Columbia had sent about 7,000 National Guard troops to Washington as of Wednesday, and that figure is expected to swell to 20,000 by this weekend.
The Guardsmen will manage crowds and control traffic, as well as providing communications, logistical and medical support.
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