As Washington, D.C. prepares for next week's inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden while dealing with the fallout from last week's deadly siege on the U.S. Capitol, the federal government has asked Massachusetts to make "a few hundred" members of the National Guard available, Gov. Charlie Baker said.
The New York Times reported Wednesday that more than 20,000 members of the National Guard are expected in the Washington metro area on Inauguration Day amid ongoing threats of demonstrations and violence from supporters of President Donald Trump. Baker's administration is processing the request, he said Wednesday.
"We have had -- and I would imagine this is true for many states, especially those on the East Coast -- we've had an ask from Washington to support a fairly significant request for Guard personnel in our nation's capital," the governor said. He said the amount of personnel being requested is "an imminently manageable number."
There were reports this week that protests were being planned from at least Jan. 16 through Jan. 20 at State Houses across the nation and at the U.S. Capitol from Jan. 17 through Jan. 20.
Baker said he had a call with state and federal law enforcement officials Wednesday morning, "And the answer here remains that there are no, at this point in time, what we would call known or credible threats in Massachusetts."
