Governor says Md. National Guard and State Police were sent to the Nation’s Capitol.
Annapolis, Md (KM) The State of Maryland provided assistance to the District of Columbia on Wednesday when a mob stormed the US Capitol. At the time, members of Congress were counting the electoral votes from November’s general election for President and Vice President.
During a news conference on Thursday in Annapolis, Governor Larry Hogan said DC submitted a direct request for assistance. He says he also received a call from Representative and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, who said he and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senator Chuck Schumer were in a bunker in an undisclosed location, and he asked for help. “That the US Capitol Police was overwhelmed; that there was no federal law enforcement presence; and that the leaders of Congress were pleading with me as the Governor of Maryland for assistance from the Maryland National Guard and the State Police,”: Hogan said.
The Governor sent the Maryland National Guard and 200 state troopers to help restore order. Hogan said there was a problem getting the Guard to Washington because he was told by federal officials that Maryland’s Guard personnel could not leave the state without Department of Defense authorization. “I got a call on my cell phone from Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy, who gave us the authority that we needed to be able to move into the city,” he said. “The initial contingent of Maryland National Guard were the first to arrive in Washington from out of state.”
Speaking to reporters, the Governor said Maryland will do anything possible to restore order in the Nation’s Capitol and ensure a peaceful transfer of power. “Today, we are extending the Maryland National Guard’s mission in Washington DC through the inauguration and the end of the month,” he said.
Hogan also said the peaceful transition of power is a tradition in this country,. “Over the last two months, this sacred tradition has come under attack from our own president who has chosen to fan the flames of hate and mislead millions of voters through lies and conspiracy theories rather than face the reality of his defeat,” the Governor said.
But the nation held strong. “The mob may have shattered glass. But they did not and they will not shatter our democracy,” he says.
As he closed out his opening comments, Governor Hogan said we have choices when it comes to the future of our country. “We can either face the truth, or be destroyed by lies. We can either descend into chaos and rancor, or we can rise above and meet this test with real courage and patriotism,” Hogan said.
By Kevin McManus