Politico reports DC as a police state (and presumably the Capitol behind razor wire to keep citizens out) will continue through the impeachment trial in the Senate
Impeachment trial to keep National Guard troops at Capitol
There are fears of mass demonstrations.
Federal law enforcement officials told lawmakers the impeachment trial
poses a big enough threat to require thousands of National Guard troops
to remain in Washington through mid-March. | Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo
Opening paragraphs of Politico's report
Former
President Donald Trump’s upcoming Senate impeachment trial poses a
security concern that federal law enforcement officials told lawmakers
last week requires as many as 5,000 National Guard troops to remain in
Washington through mid-March, according to four people familiar with the
matter.
The contingency force will help
protect the Capitol from what was described as “impeachment security
concerns,” including the possibility of mass demonstrations coinciding
with the Senate’s trial, which is slated to begin the week of Feb. 8.
Despite the threat, the citizen
soldiers on the ground say they have been given little information about
the extension and wonder why they are being forced to endure
combat-like conditions in the nation’s capital without a clear mission.
“Quite frankly this is not a ‘combat
zone,’ so combat conditions shouldn’t apply,” said one Guard member on
the ground in D.C. who has deployed twice to Afghanistan.
Several National Guard units have seen
their deployments extended involuntarily, though a majority of
Guardsmen remaining in Washington will do so on a volunteer basis.
Around 7,000 troops will continue to provide riot security through the
beginning of February, with that number decreasing slightly to 5,000 by
the time Trump’s impeachment trial begins.
Boots on the ground is an understatement.
While numbers were higher during the Normandy D-day beachhead days, you get to 7,000 and 5,000 and the number should ring in your mind - what level of troop withdrawal was Trump's latest plan for the lingering Afghan War forces - numerically, in comparison.
