The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.
― George Orwell, 1984
After US Capitol Police called for National Guard troops and razor wire to stay in place through March, citing online chatter by 'QAnon,' two Republican members of Congress accused them of drumming up excuses for the 'occupation.'See also:
Several thousand troops and fencing topped with razor wire around the US Capitol - deployed after the January 6 riot - ought to stay in place at least through the end of March, lawmakers were told on Thursday. According to a report in Newsweek, Capitol Police were alarmed by online chatter by followers of the 'QAnon' conspiracy saying that former President Donald Trump will be inaugurated on March 4.
"Trump isn't getting reinstated until after he wins the 2024 election," quipped Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-Florida), a close ally of the former president. "Also, does this strike anyone as possible threat construction to justify the ongoing occupation of Washington DC?"
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His sentiments were quickly seconded by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky), a libertarian-leaning Republican.
"De-occupy DC. Send our great soldiers home. There is no threat, but the swamp wants to project that image so they can pass new laws to steal your liberty," Massie tweeted on Thursday evening.
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The newest pretext for maintaining the military presence is chatter by so-called "sovereign citizens," who allegedly argued that every US president since Ulysses S. Grant has been illegitimate and that Trump will be inaugurated as the 19th - rather than the 45th - chief executive on March 4, the traditional inauguration date before it was moved to January 20 in 1933.
The Pentagon is reportedly open to the possibility of sending more American troops to Iraq in an expanded NATO training mission for Iraqi security forces.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin discussed the training mission with his NATO colleagues Thursday, according to CNN. Although an increase in troop levels is on the table, there are no imminent plans for it at the moment, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby clarified Thursday night.
"The US is participating in the force generation process for NATO Mission Iraq and will contribute its fair share to this important expanded mission," Pentagon spokesperson Jessica L. McNulty said to CNN. The aim of the mission is reportedly to support Iraqi forces in the fight to prevent ISIS from re-emerging as a substantial regional threat.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday that NATO's presence for the mission would jump from about 500 personnel to around 4,000, CNN reported. Austin reportedly "welcomed the expanded role" of NATO in Iraq, and Stoltenberg stressed the importance of keeping ISIS in check. "ISIS is still there. ISIS still operates in Iraq, and we need to make sure that they're not able to return," Stoltenberg said.
Stoltenberg also added that the increase in NATO personnel in the country came at the request of the Iraqi government.
An increase in American involvement in Iraq would be a change in direction from policy under former President Donald Trump. Troop levels in the country fell to 2,500 by the end of Trump's term. Before the transition to the Biden administration, Trump's acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller said the troop reduction was a sign of success: "The drawdown of US force levels in Iraq is reflective of the increased capabilities of the Iraqi security forces. Our ability to reduce force levels is evidence of real progress."
In a now-deleted tweet, posted just one week after the Capitol incident, revived by Fox News's Tucker Carlson, Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honoré publicly insulted Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, calling him a "little peace of sh-t" and calling for him to "be run out of DC and Disbarred ASAP." He also said Hawley and Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas are "aaa hats" and "high order white privilege."Former Homeland Security official Cuccinelli slams the apparent negligence of Washington Mayor Bowser and Speaker Pelosi in not authorizing sufficient security in view of intelligence they were all able to access. One could wonder who might benefit from events playing out as they did.Shortly after Honoré tweeted the colorful and opinionated post, Pelosi tapped the "respected leader with experience dealing with crises" to oversee the "immediate review of [Capitol] security infrastructure, interagency processes, and command and control."
"We must subject this whole complex to scrutiny," Pelosi said in January.
"It didn't work that day, and everybody who knows about this ... they all know the tools are there. The tools didn't work. We've got to get the tools to work, get all of government to work together," Honoré said of the Capitol security shortly after he was picked for the job.
Pelosi also announced her intentions to create a 9/11-style commission to investigate the failures that allowed a mob to breach the historic building on Jan. 6. In addition to establishing the commission and receiving multiple briefings from Honoré, House Democrats also requested an expansion of an investigation into "domestic terrorism and violent extremism" they believe may have driven the riot.
"We will have an after-action review," Pelosi said. "There will be a commission."
Honoré has a history of criticizing Republicans including former President Donald Trump. He was also a somewhat regular guest on multiple corporate broadcasts such as CNN and MSNBC to give his takes on Trump's response to the 2017 Puerto Rico hurricanes, the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, and more.
"The President doesn't understand the Constitution, or he don't give a d-mn," Honoré said in 2020.
Comment: Impossible goals require totalitarian measures.