Tuesday, during an appearance on FNC’s “Fox & Friends,” Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) called on the National Guard presence on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, to come to an end.
The Arkansas lawmaker explained how there was no Congress in session this week. However, the troops still remain.
“It is time to send the troops home,” he said. “Look, there are too many — too many troops left in Washington. I’m not aware of any threat to justify continued presence today around the Capitol, much less into the fall. I think Nancy Pelosi will have a lot of questions to answer about what she knew leading up to the riot on January 6. There was a clear failure by the security leaders on Capitol Hill to prepare for January 6. The officers of the Capitol police performed bravely, but they’re right to have no confidence in their leadership. That doesn’t mean, though, that we should turn the Capitol into an armed fortress or camp for thousands of soldiers. It means we should use common sense. And assess the threats that we face and respond accordingly. That big anti-riot fence with razor wire around the Capitol — it went up overnight after January 6.”
“If, for instance, Joe Biden comes to the Capitol and gives a joint session speech in the next few weeks, as new presidents tend to do, obviously there will be an increased security posture at that time,” Cotton continued. “But Congress isn’t even in session this week, yet we have thousands of troops guarding the Capitol where congressmen and senators and their staff work at a time when the security threats simply do not justify it, at least to my knowledge. If they do, Nancy Pelosi needs to come forth and explain why they do.”
Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor
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