Fear of insider attack prompts additional FBI screening of National Guard troops: AP

The FBI is screening all 25,000 National Guard troops heading to D.C. as fears mount among defense officials that those responsible for security at the inauguration could participate in an insider attack, The Associated Press reported Sunday.

The screening effort comes as D.C. has beefed up its security ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday and after the deadly pro-Trump raid on the Capitol on Jan. 6.

Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told the AP on Sunday that officials are aware of the potential risk, and commanders have been instructed to keep an eye out for any issues among their troops. National Guard members are also receiving training on how to find any threats within their ranks, he said.

But the Army secretary said the FBI’s vetting has not surfaced any problems, and there has not been any evidence of insider attacks after attending a three-hour security drill for the inauguration.

”We’re continually going through the process, and taking second, third looks at every one of the individuals assigned to this operation,” McCarthy told the AP.

“The question is, is that all of them? Are there others?” said McCarthy. “We need to be conscious of it and we need to put all of the mechanisms in place to thoroughly vet these men and women who would support any operations like this.”

The military regularly checks if its members have links to extremism, but the FBI is screening those slated to guard the Capitol and Biden as an additional precaution.

To vet Guard members, the FBI would run names through the bureau’s databases and watchlists to find any concerning associations, including involvement in investigations or terrorism-related issues, David Gomez, a former FBI national security supervisor in Seattle, told the AP.

The FBI deferred to the Secret Service for comment. A Secret Service spokesperson said in a statement to The Hill that to "maintain critical operational security" for the inauguration, "the U.S. Secret Service and our law enforcement partners will not be commenting on the means and meth... (Read more)

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