The Federal Bureau of Investigation have screened the National Guard ahead of the inauguration into the presidency of former Vice President Joseph Biden on Jan. 20, a report says.
According to One America News Network, protecting the U.S. Capitol from an insider attack is the main intention of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's screening of 25,000 members of the National Guard.
Background checks and counterchecking of those to be deployed was conducted by FBI by searching for any previous charges, potential affiliation to domestic terrorist associations, and thorough searching from databases and watch lists, OANN said.
OANN also cited a Twitter post of U.S. Marshals, the law enforcement agency of the Department of Justice, on Monday that showed the National Guard being sworn in by Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Lamont Ruffin from the U. S. District of Columbia District Court.
"Chief Lamont Ruffin from D.C. District Court swears in 2000 National Guard troops as Special Deputy U.S. Marshals prior to the upcoming presidential inauguration," the post said linking to a Flickr album giving more information on the event in line with the inauguration.
The Flickr album caption explained that "Deputation gives the guardsmen temporary, limited, law enforcement authority pertaining specifically to the safety and protection of the inauguration and related events."
The number of National Guard to be deployed on Biden's inauguration, according to OANN, is more than twice the number of troops than previous ceremonies.
"But the D.C. National Guard is the only unit in the country, in the world, that calls themselves Capitol guardians. And for a brief moment of history, all 25,000 guardsmen that will be in the Capitol will be able to call themselves Capitol Guardians and I hope they cherish that as much as we do," OANN cited Command Sgt. Major Michael Brooks in saying of the D.C. National Guard.
The deployment of the National Guard in the U.S. Capitol is actually part of the extreme security measures in place for the historical event on Jan. 20. Besides the deployment of federal law enforcements, barriers are setup around the area along with parking restrictions and businesses closed down.
Last Jan. 15, FBI Director Christopher Wray led the briefing on inauguration security being conducted nationally out of intelligence reports of radical leftist groups holding rallies as overflow of the U.S. Capitol riot.
Wray clarified during the briefing that their efforts to secure the inauguration has been a preparation "for months and months" that lead to the setting up of "a national command post at FBI Headquarters as well as a command post" in their "Washington Field Office" where they "monitor all incoming leads, whether they're calls for armed protest, potential threats that grow out of the Jan. 6 breach of the Capitol, or other kinds of potential threats leading up to inaugural events and in various other targets."
"So together with our partners here in the District and across the country, we're going to be doing everything we can to ensure a smooth transition of power in the days to come. This is a team effort," he said.
