WASHINGTON: Two U.S. Army National Guard members have been removed from the presidential inauguration security mission after they were found to have ties with right-wing militia groups, according to two U.S. Army officials. There was no threat to President-elect Joe Biden, they said.
The officials did not say which fringe group the Guard members belonged to or what unit they served in. The officials were not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
The removal comes as the FBI has warned law enforcement officials about the possibility that right-wing fringe groups could pose as members of the National Guard called in to help secure the city after a deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters shocked the nation, according to two law enforcement officials familiar with the matter.
Washington has been on edge since the deadly insurrection at the Capitol, which has prompted extraordinary security measures ahead of Biden’s…