LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Members of the Kentucky National Guard have been activated to protect the state Capitol and the U.S. Capitol through the inauguration of President-Elect Joe Biden on Jan. 20, Gov. Andy Beshear said Thursday.
More than 250 guardsmen will head to Washington to assist law enforcement with security detail after a mob of President Donald Trump supporters stormed the building in a deadly riot. Beshear said the National Guard has historically helped with security during presidential inaugurations, but they're sending more members in light of the Jan. 6 attack.
"It is our job, it is our duty, to provide these great Kentuckians to ensure that a peaceful transition of power occurs and to stand up to domestic terror when we see it," the governor said. "I'm proud that our guardsmen and our guardswomen will be there to protect our nation and to ensure safety during these period of time."
The number of National Guard troops coming to Washington to assist with security has so far grown to about 21,000, Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, told Vice President Mike Pence at a briefing Thursday.
Guardsmen will also be stationed in Frankfort, Kentucky, to protect the state Capitol from what Beshear called "any potential acts of terror." The FBI this week issued a warning of plans for armed protests at all 50 state capitals in the days leading up to Biden's inauguration.
In the wake of the riot in Washington, a group of people, many heavily armed, gathered Jan. 9 at the Kentucky Capitol for a rally. The demonstration was peaceful and featured various speakers, many criticizing Beshear and his executive orders enacted to slow the spread of COVID-19 in the state.
At the time, Beshear took to Twitter to condemn the rally and said, "We will not be intimidated. We will not be bullied." On Thursday, the governor said Kentucky will do everything it takes to protect its Capitol and the people in it.
"I don't want to give these domestic terrorists our gameplan," he said. "We'll be ready.
"... I said the other day, You can't play 'Pat-a-cake' with would-be militias that want to overthrow the government," he added. "... We cannot view these things as simply people who dress up like it's Halloween and want to seem tough and then go home. ... We've got to acknowledge what it is, domestic terrorists, and we got to treat it as such."
Protesters rallied against Beshear's pandemic restrictions at the Capitol multiple times in 2020. In May, protesters at a demonstration for gun rights hung an effigy of Beshear from a tree near the governor's mansion, an act that drew heavy criticism from both Kentucky Democrats and Republicans.
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- FBI warns of plans for nationwide armed protests next week
- Protesters, many armed, gather outside Kentucky state Capitol
The Associated Press contributed to this report. Copyright 2021 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
