Share
Commentary

Gov. DeSantis Orders FL National Guard to Return Home: 'They're Not Nancy Pelosi's Servants'

Share

For two weeks after the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol, many lawmakers insisted on the need for mass numbers of National Guard troops for protection during President Joe Biden’s inauguration and surrounding events.

After pictures emerged of those troops resting inside a parking garage, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida has ordered the troops from his state to return home.

“They’re soldiers,” DeSantis said during an appearance on “Fox & Friends” on Friday. “They’re not Nancy Pelosi’s servants.”

Trending:
Federal Judge Has Bad News for Hunter Biden, Says There's Zero Evidence His Charges Are Politically Motivated

Politico reported that the guardsmen were told by U.S. Capitol Police officials to leave the Capitol Thursday, subjecting them to undesirable conditions.

“The group was forced to rest in a nearby parking garage without internet reception, with just one electrical outlet, and one bathroom with two stalls for 5,000 troops,” a guardsman told Politico.

DeSantis said the troops can be used for actual emergencies, such as vaccine distribution in the state of Florida. He said that they are not being utilized effectively in Washington, D.C.

“This is a half-cocked mission at this point, and I think the appropriate thing is to bring them home,” DeSantis said.


In addition, the governor took aim at lawmakers who tried to subject the troops to tests of their patriotism.

“This comes on the back end of them trying to investigate the backgrounds of our guardsmen,” he said.

“Florida, we did not let them go into their political beliefs. I thought that was totally inappropriate. I thought it was very disrespectful for people who are clearly patriots.”

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported Sunday that the FBI was vetting the 25,000 troops who would arrive in Washington, D.C., due to concerns of “an insider attack.”

In reality, this was a no-lose situation for Democratic lawmakers. They called in tens of thousands of troops to quash a threat of violence that was probably never going to materialize.

Related:
Liz Cheney's Jan. 6 Committee Was So Vicious That Sec. of Defense Himself Felt Threatened

Of course, they can now claim that the reason the violence did not happen was because of their actions. This is unlikely, but it cannot be disproven.

Now that the public has seen what some of the troops were doing (or not doing), Tucker Carlson’s accusation that Democratic lawmakers called in mass numbers of troops “to send the rest of us a message about power” seems to have more credibility.

Is Gov. DeSantis justified in calling his troops back home?

Democrats wanted to paint a picture of possible riots, protests, and other violent threats on Inauguration Day. Instead, Joe Biden was sworn in rather quietly.

“There were a few scattered arrests but no major protests or serious disruptions in the city during Biden’s inauguration ceremony,” The Associated Press reported.

Maybe these violent groups were planning to show up, but the 25,000 troops scared them away.

More likely, however, is the possibility that the huge number of troops was never necessary.

Truth and Accuracy

Submit a Correction →



We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Tags:
, , , , ,
Share
Grant is a graduate of Virginia Tech with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He has five years of writing experience with various outlets and enjoys covering politics and sports.
Grant is a graduate of Virginia Tech with a bachelor's degree in journalism. He has five years of writing experience with various outlets and enjoys covering politics and sports.




Conversation