National Guard members allowed back at Capitol after they were banished to a parking garage

By Alex Horton
1/22/2021, 12:59:08 p.m.

Hundreds of National Guard members forced from the U.S. Capitol in Washington and into a parking garage Thursday night were allowed to return indoors to rest, defense officials said Friday, after photos of soldiers lying on concrete prompted outrage from lawmakers.

The abrupt transfer came Thursday afternoon with no explanation, two soldiers told The Washington Post. The troops were using space at the Capitol to relax in between guard shifts, but relocating to the parking garage put them in close quarters with moving cars, exhaust fumes, few toilets and troops potentially infected with the coronavirus, the soldiers said.

The National Guard said Thursday the Capitol Police moved the Guard members off the grounds as foot traffic from lawmakers and other officials increased in the area, but that was contradicted by acting Capitol Police chief Yogananda Pittman, who said in a statement Friday that “police did not instruct the National Guard to vacate the Capitol Building facilities.”

National Guard officials did not resolve the contradiction in a Friday statement, but denied allegations made on social media that the request originated from lawmakers.

“Our understanding is that the unfortunate request for the National Guard to be relocated was made without the knowledge of the Congressional members,” said Wayne Hall, a spokesman for the National Guard Bureau. “This morning, all of the break areas used by the National Guard on duty at the Capitol are inside buildings.”

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