US National Guard Exits Capitol For The First Time After January 6 Attack

The last 2,149 of what had been nearly 26,000 troops in an extraordinary deployment in Washington departed over the weekend as their mission to protect Congress formally ended.

The US Capitol stood unprotected by National Guard troops for the first time in nearly five months Monday as concerns about right-wing extremist threats have diminished since the January 6 attacks. The last 2,149 of what had been nearly 26,000 troops in an extraordinary deployment in Washington departed over the weekend as their mission to protect Congress formally ended. The troops were mobilized after hundreds of supporters of then-president Donald Trump entered the Capitol, halting the joint session to confirm Trump's rival Joe Biden as winner of the presidential election. Some broke into lawmakers' offices, and called for the killing of lawmakers and vice president Mike Pence, who was presiding over the session.