Former President Donald Trump offered his Trump International Hotel in Washington DC to thousands of National Guard troops kicked out of the U.S. Capitol building.
Trump authorized 5,000 guardsmen to stay at his luxury hotel
Nearly 5,000 guardsmen were brought to protect Joe Biden's inauguration on Thursday. They were forced to take shelter in an underground parking garage after they were told to leave the building.
The move created an intense backlash after revealing that the soldiers were forced to sleep on the ground in freezing temperatures and had one bathroom and one power outlet to share, as per One America News Network.
An advisor told OAN Friday that Trump stepped in by informing the troops to stay at his luxury hotel near the Capitol.
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Upon weighing the situation, lawmakers from the Democratic and Republican parties demanded the unit be brought back inside. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said, "Well, I don't want to go out on a limb but let me say this, whatever blockhead in the U.S. Senate decided that the National Guard has to sleep in the parking garage should sleep in the parking garage themselves tonight."
It remained unclear who released the initial order. However, some Republicans point their finger at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has remained silent on the issue. Several state governors' have ordered the troops to go back to their homes, as per OAN.
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Video shows police officers housed in Trump's hotel lobby
On Wednesday, Trump's Washington DC hotel posted a video showing the hotel serving the local police officers. Mickael Damelincourt, the managing director for the district's Trump International Hotel, posted on Twitter the same day before President Biden was inaugurated a block away. Damelincourt expressed his gratitude to all the law enforcement officers. Tagging @DCPoliceDept, he encouraged them to enjoy America's Living Room.
Trump International Hotel in D.C. houses law enforcement this week.
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) January 22, 2021
Treatment of military and officers has been in the spotlight this week as news broke of National Guard troops being forced to sleep in a parking garage. pic.twitter.com/xsaxMFyj77
According to Washington Examiner, the video was posted in the same week that the National Guard troops were forced to sleep in a parking lot. The National Guard troops secured the inauguration before they were relegated to rest in the underground parking lot, which drew outrage from politicians on social media.
Freshman Rep. Madison Cawthorn, a Republican, tweeted on Thursday that she visited the soldiers abandoned and insulted by leaders. Rep. Cawthorn even brought the National Guard troops pizza and offered them to sleep at her office.
"No soldier will ever, ever sleep on a garage floor in the U.S. Capitol while I work in Congress. Our Troops deserve better," Cawthorn continued.
Weeks before the swearing ceremony, federal officials led the tabletop exercises to practice inauguration security and strengthen coordination between the National Guard and federal personnel, as per a Washington Post report.
