© 2024 Blaze Media LLC. All rights reserved.
Pelosi praises National Guard presence in DC after denouncing it during BLM riots last year
Photo by Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Pelosi praises National Guard presence in DC after denouncing it during BLM riots last year

You can smell the hypocrisy

Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) is singing a much different tune about the presence of National Guard troops in the nation's capitol ahead of Inauguration Day.

What are the details?

Despite previously criticizing President Trump for deploying the reserve force during last year's Black Lives Matter protests, in recent days Speaker Pelosi used the opportunity to thank troops stationed in Washington, D.C. for protecting "democracy" after a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6.

"Even during this dark time in the history of America, we find reasons for hope," she wrote on Twitter last Wednesday after meeting with the group. "It was my privilege today to personally thank members of the National Guard who are working protect our nation's Capitol. Thank you for your commitment to our American democracy."

Pelosi reportedly helped distribute meals for some of the service members stationed in Washington to guard against any potential riots surrounding the Inauguration.

During the photo op, Pelosi even presented the service members with "challenge coins" embossed with her signature.

What's the background?

However, the speaker hasn't always been so keen on a military presence in Washington.

In June, as riots broke out across the country and in the nation's capital following the death of George Floyd, Pelosi criticized Trump's use of National Guard troops to protect both federal property and people in the D.C. community against violence.

"We are concerned about the increased militarization and lack of clarity that may increase chaos. I am writing to request a full list of the agencies involved and clarifications of the roles and responsibilities of the troops and federal law enforcement resources operating in the city," Pelosi sharply wrote in a notice to the president.

"Congress and the American people need to know who is in charge, what is the chain of command, what is the mission, and by what authority is the National Guard from other states operating in the capital," she added.

Pelosi would later come under fire for bizarrely disrespecting the federal troops sent to various U.S. cities to quell Antifa and Black Lives Matter violence, calling them "stormtroopers."

Anything else?

There are now more than 20,000 National Guard troops in Washington to prevent a repeat of the events of Jan. 6, especially as the FBI warned that "armed protests" are being planned across the country and in the nation's capital ahead of Jan. 20.

Those stationed on Capitol Hill have been granted the authority to use lethal force to protect the Capitol as well as members of Congress and their staff.

Want to leave a tip?

We answer to you. Help keep our content free of advertisers and big tech censorship by leaving a tip today.
Want to join the conversation?
Already a subscriber?