FBI Reportedly Vetting National Guard Troops In D.C. Amid Fears Of Insider Attack
WASHINGTON, D.C. (KDKA) -- The entire city of Washington, D.C. is on alert ahead of Wednesday's inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. U.S. defense leaders are raising concerns, worried about an insider attack.
According to the Associated Press, the FBI is now vetting all National Guard troops who have been activated in Washington.
That's 25,000 members that are being vetted.
So far, military leaders tell the Associated Press there has been no evidence of any threats or issues.
Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy says in the report they are taking second and third looks at everyone involved in the operation.
According to the Associated Press, this vetting process started when the first members arrived in Washington more than a week ago.
The vetting is expected to be done by Wednesday.
The FBI will run people's names through databases and watchlists.
Sources tell the Associated Press they are looking to see if anything alarming such as prior investigations or terrorism-related concerns come up.
The chief of the National Guard says if there are any issues, they will be dealt with by law enforcement or the chain of command.
Around 1,000 members of the Pennsylvania National Guard were activated to Washington following the violence that erupted in the U.S. Capitol on January 6.
Last week, an additional 1,000 members were activated as well, bringing the total number of Pa. National Guard members to around 2,000.
The insider threat is just one of the security concerns, as commanders had a security rehearsal in northern Virginia over the weekend.
The major concern is armed groups of people and planted explosives.
The bulk of the National Guard members will be armed.
