Byron York’s Daily Memo: Why is the National Guard still in Washington?

The proposal to make the fence permanent has met bipartisan opposition, not only from Capitol Hill but from the District of Columbia government. But it’s a different story with the troops. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has not called for sending the National Guard home, preferring to make vague and ominous statements like, “The enemy is within.” That is apparently Pelosi’s way of using the security issue for partisan advantage, accusing Hill Republicans of being the true enemy.

There are reports the troops are staying until mid-March because those in charge — Pelosi? Schumer? Others? — want troops at the ready during the Trump impeachment trial, set to begin next week in the Senate. There are other reports that there might be a big protest on March 4, which was the Constitution’s original presidential inauguration day until it was changed to January 20 in the 1930s. In any event, the troops are here.

The Biden White House is staying out of it, publicly at least. At a recent briefing, spokeswoman Jen Psaki declined to answer a question on the Guard, referring journalists to the Defense Department.

But there are some voices saying enough is enough. Republican Senator Tom Cotton, a U.S. Army veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, has called for the troops to go home. In a FoxNews.com op-ed, Cotton wrote that the Guard deserves gratitude for deploying on short notice after the violence at the Capitol began. They they stayed for the two weeks until the inauguration. Now, it’s time for them to go.

via click1.trk-washingtonexaminer.com

Enough certainly is enough.