Democrats face Backlash After Photos of National Guardsmen Emerged

"Virginia National Guard" (CC BY 2.0) by The National Guard

After pictures of National Guardsmen being forced to sleep in parking garages emerged on Thursday, Democrats started to face backlash. 

On Thursday, devastating photographs of National Guardsmen sleeping in parking garages were circulated on social media. They were forced to vacate the congressional grounds and ended up staying and sleeping in parking garages despite the freezing temperatures in Washington, D.C. On top of that, they also have minimal access to restrooms and other essential items.

All of these happened after Democrats took complete control of the federal government after Joe Biden’s inauguration.

A source familiar with the security discussion that transpired at the U.S. Capitol told The Daily Wire that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi personally met with the Secretary of the Army, demanding 14,000 National Ground troops to be deployed at the U.S. Capitol. However, Pelosi did not provide any logistical plan on where the National Guardsmen would sleep. 

The pictures circulated on social media caused outrage on lawmakers as they posted their sentiments on Twitter. 

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy wrote in a Tweet, “Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Schumer—why are American troops who are tasked with keeping security at the Capitol being forced to sleep in a parking lot? They deserve to be treated with respect, and we deserve answers.”

Up to this point, the House Speaker had not given any comments about the troubling issue. However, her daughter, Christine Pelosi, who often speaks on behalf of her mother, responded to McCarthy’s tweet and wrote on Twitter, “Shhhh Don’s in Florida and off Twitter. You don’t have to rage tweet his deflections anymore. PS the Guard are out of the garage and back at the Capitol no thanks to you.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) responded to the report and said that what happened was “outrageous” and that he will “get to the bottom of this.”

Meanwhile, various National Guardsmen who were authorized to talk to the media gave comments about the situation. One National Guardsman told Politico, “Yesterday dozens of senators and congressmen walked down our lines taking photos, shaking our hands and thanking us for our service. Within 24 hours, they had no further use for us and banished us to the corner of a parking garage. We feel incredibly betrayed.”

Another told Task & Purpose, “It’s pissed a lot of dudes off. … It’s f***ed up because it just shows how politicians really feel about the National Guard.”

A National Guardsman who reportedly served in Iraq and Afghanistan told The Washington Post, “I’ve never in my entire career felt like I’ve been booted onto the curb and told, ‘Figure it out on your own.'”

One National Guardsman also said, “Yesterday dozens of senators and congressmen walked down our lines taking photos, shaking our hands and thanking us for our service. Within 24 hours, they had no further use for us and banished us to the corner of a parking garage …” 

Online critics slammed Democrats on the way how the National Guardsmen were treated. 

On the other hand, former White House Press Secretary, Kayleigh Mcenany emphasized the remarks made by Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) earlier this week, who said during an interview with CNN that members of the National Guard could pose a threat to President Biden. 

McEnany wrote. “On Monday, a Democrat congressman said most of the National Guard likely voted for Trump and were, therefore, security threats.” She continued and said, “last night, our National Guardsmen were banished to a parking garage. They are HEROES & deserve better than this!!!”

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