Pentagon to Deploy Over 6,000 National Guard Troops to D.C. For Joe Biden's Inauguration

A total of 6,200 National Guardsmen will be mobilized in Washington D.C. over the next few days in order to help secure the peaceful transfer of power during President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration ceremony on January 20.

Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy also confirmed a 7-foot "unscalable" fence is being erected around the perimeter of the Capitol building and will remain in place for the next 30 days.

McCarthy said the decision follows the "horrible and shameful day" in which a mob of violent Donald Trump supporters and extremists backing the president's baseless claims of election voter fraud stormed the capitol building in what lawmakers said was an attempted coup.

Speaking at a press conference, Biden also said that those responsible for the violence and disorder which left five people dead, including a police officer, should not be considered protesters.

"They weren't protesters—don't dare call them protesters," said the President-elect. "They were a riotous mob. Insurrectionists. Domestic terrorists. It's that basic. It's that simple."

As noted byDCist, non-scalable fencing means it does not have large enough spacing that people could use them as footholds to scale over. However, it is theoretically possible for someone to jump and pull themselves up and over. The main goal of the 7-foot fence is to slow or deter people from entering the enclosed area.

The move comes after Capitol Police were criticized for their actions on the day, with videos appearing online showing officers allowing the mob into the Capitol grounds after being unable to hold them back. A viral video appeared to show officers opening the gates for the rioters to storm the Capitol. But Marcus DiPaola, a freelance journalist who filmed the clip, told Newsweek that officers only backed away after being threatened while being vastly outnumbered.

"They definitely didn't just open the barriers, the pro-Trump rioters made a fist like they were going to punch the cops, which is why I started recording, then they backed off the barricades," he said.

The U.S. House Appropriations Committee said it is launching a review into the police response during Wednesday's violence.

"The coup attempt at the Capitol yesterday was instigated by President Trump and responsibility for the violence rests with him and his supporters who ransacked the People's House," House Appropriations Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro and House Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Tim Ryan said in a joint statement.

"However, the breach of the Capitol raises serious questions about what law enforcement did and what they should have done differently.

"We recognize the bravery of the Capitol Police and law enforcement officers who protected Members and essential workers in the Capitol Complex yesterday. At the same time, it is obvious that there was a severe systemic failure in securing the building's perimeter and in the response once the building was breached."

A total of 340 National Guard Troops were sent to assist with controlling the crowds on Wednesday before more were dispersed later in the day as the violence erupted further.

The Department of Defense said they relied on estimates from the Metropolitan Police Department and Capitol Hill Police, who felt they had adequate personal and did not make a request for reinforcements prior to January 6.

"We don't do domestic [intelligence] collection," Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Rath Hoffman said.

"We rely on Capitol Police and federal law enforcement to provide an assessment of the situation. And based on that assessment that they had, they believed they had sufficient personnel and did not make a request."

Discussing the incident at the Capitol, Acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller added: "Our Republic may have been disrupted yesterday, but the resolve of our legislators to conduct the people's business did not waver.

"Due to their efforts, supported by local and federal law enforcement and the National Guard, the attempts of those who tried to stop our government from functioning failed.

"I strongly condemn these acts of violence against our democracy. I, and the people I lead in the Department of Defense, continue to perform our duties in accordance with our oath of office, and will execute the time-honored peaceful transition of power to President-elect Biden on January 20."