National Guard will end its mission in the nation’s capital by mid-March
Pentagon spokesman: 'Things are safe and secure right now'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The National Guard will remove the last of its troops from the U.S. Capitol by mid-march, a Pentagon spokesperson told Fox News’ Neil Cavuto Tuesday.
"We're obviously constantly in touch with the Department of Homeland Security, the Secret Service and DC officials about the need about the requirement. And we're always evaluating it," Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said.
"There's no incidents to report," he added. "Things are safe and secure right now."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}National Guard troops have been stationed in the Washington, D.C. since the Jan. 6 breech on the U.S. Capitol by pro-Trump supporters.
DC NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT IN NATION'S CAPITAL EXTENDED THROUGH END OF MARCH
Though the deployment of 25,000 troops for President Biden’s inauguration was reduced following the ceremony, 7,000 troops have remained at the Capitol during the Senate impeachment hearings, due to additional concerns about potential "civil unrest."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The number of guardsmen will continue to be reduced, with just 5,000 troops remaining until March 22 before all are sent home. But some believe that now the impeachment hearing is over, the service members should be sent home right away.
"Let’s do this sooner," Arizona Democrat Rep. Ruben Gallego said on Twitter Tuesday. "There is no need for this severe of a lock down. Having a quick reaction force near by and actually listening to intelligence will keep us safe."
Recent chatter surrounding potential civil unrest by QANON supporters in early March could be contributing to the National Guard’s prolonged stay.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The fourth of March has become a rallying cry for pro-Trump conspiracy theorists, as it was the original Inauguration Day before being changed to Jan. 20 in 1937, reported Newsweek.
The Pentagon official told Fox News he would not comment on any intelligence threats officials may or may not be monitoring but said their goal is to "end this mission" and get troops home to their families.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We're constantly in touch with local and state authorities, the Secret Service, about the threat assessment [and] about the need," Kirby said Tuesday. "And as soon as we're convinced, and everybody's convinced…that they don't need to be on Capitol Hill then and we'll send them all [home]," he said.
Lucas Tomlinson contributed to this report.