Photographs showing members of the National Guard sleeping on the floor of the US Capitol blew up on social media ahead of a vote to call on Vice President Mike Pence to relieve President Trump of his power.
National Guard troops dispatched to US Capitol for security pic.twitter.com/A3XhiRnxS2
Journalists in the Capitol took to Twitter to post the images, which showed the armed troops camping out in hallways by fire extinguishers, educational displays, and even a bust of Abraham Lincoln.
I spotted the National Guard sleeping in the hallways of the Capitol as I walked in this morning. pic.twitter.com/PzVpQCo5yU
Hundreds of National Guard troops sleep on the floor of the Capitol Visitors Center as Democrats begin debating an article of impeachment against President Trump. – @LACaldwellDCpic.twitter.com/hjWgALCisN
“Well this is something I thought I’d never see,” declared the Daily Telegraph’s US editor Ben Riley-Smith, while CBS News reporter Grace Segers called the display “surreal” and “one of the weirdest and most horrifying days of my life.”
Compare and contrast Left: Last Wednesday (By Ashley Gilbertson, NY Times)Right: This Wednesday pic.twitter.com/X8b4pwpZnO
The scene at the Capitol Visitor Center – absolutely filled with National Guard. pic.twitter.com/A9JNT7nwlh
CNN Senior Washington Correspondent Jeff Zeleny pointed out that “unlike House members who choose to stay in their offices to either save money or make some kind of a point, they have no House gym or shower to use.”
“The US Capitol is now a military base,” tweeted Bloomberg News’ Erik Wasson.
The US Capitol is now a military base. Massive show of force outside. National Guard is armed with rifles and spread just few feet apart along perimeter as House prepares to impeach the president pic.twitter.com/cPspvZMBUF
Thousands of National Guard troops were in the Capitol on Wednesday ahead of a House vote to call on Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment and relieve the president of his power.
After Pence refused, the Democrat-majority House launched impeachment proceedings against Trump, saying he incited supporters who stormed the Capitol last Wednesday as Congress met to certify Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory. Four protesters and a Capitol Police officer died during the unrest.
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