200 Hawaii National Guard members headed to DC ahead of inauguration

HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - About 200 members of the Hawaii National Guard are being deployed to Washington, D.C. ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration next week.

A spokesperson for the governor says the deployment was at the request of the National Guard Bureau to help “facilitate the peaceful transition of presidential power.”

Eight days ago, a mob of pro-Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, briefly seizing control of the building before law enforcement authorities were able to clear Capitol Hill.

In the days since, a heavy law enforcement presence has been reported in Washington, with videos going viral this week of armed National Guard members sleeping on the floor of the Capitol.

They’re presence is expected to remain until after Biden is sworn in as president.

“The Hawaii National Guard is prepared to support the effort in Washington, D.C., to ensure a peaceful transition of power and a smooth Inauguration Day following a free and fair election,” said Gov. David Ige in a statement.

“I thank our Guard members for their dedication to protecting our democracy during these challenging times.”

Ige’s office declined to elaborate on exactly which duties the Hawaii National Guard members would be performing, citing security reasons, saying only that they were “prepared to perform a multitude of missions in support of local law enforcement.”