Commanding general of D.C. National Guard to be removed from post

[highplainsdem]

Source: Washington Post

The head of the D.C. National Guard, Maj. Gen. Errol R. Schwartz, said Friday that he has been ordered removed from his command effective Jan. 20, 12:01 p.m., just as Donald Trump is sworn in as president.

Schwartz’s forced departure will come in the midst of the presidential inauguration that he has spent months helping plan alongside D.C. police, the U.S. Secret Service and other top District officials. He will turn over command to an interim as power transfers from one president to the next, and just before the inaugural parade marches down Pennsylvania Avenue.

“The timing is extremely unusual,” Schwartz said in an interview Friday morning, confirming a memo announcing his ouster that was obtained by The Washington Post. During the inauguration, Schwartz would command not only the members of the D.C. guard but also an additional 5,000 troops sent in from across the country to help. He also would oversee military air support protecting the nation’s capital during the inauguration.

“My troops will be on the street,” Schwartz, 65, said. “I’ll see them off but I won’t be able to welcome them back to the armory.” He said that he would “never plan to leave a mission in the middle of a battle.”

-snip-

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/commanding-general-of-dc-national-guard-to-be-removed-from-post/2017/01/13/725a0438-d99e-11e6-b8b2-cb5164beba6b_story.html

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Schwartz also said that he wasn't told WHY he's been asked to step down.

[machoneman]

1. Easy!

Trump will appoint a SS Storm Trooper, likely a Bannon pick, in one of those scary all black uniforms!

[AtheistCrusader]

6. We should be so lucky if they were that blunt and obvious.

Fucking wake some 'moderates' up to the slow approach to boil they are ignoring.

[2naSalit]

7. wearing face mask so they can blend in

wit the thugs who plan to disrupt any and all peaceful exercise of 1st Amendment rights.

My sister just called and told me how she and her daughters were planning to go to the march on the 21st and ended up cancelling due to a number of scheduling issues but also because they were concerned about the disruptors after seeing so much about it on FB and other social media.

[alphafemale]

44. Oh yeah. The young men in the Che Guevara T shirt with regulation style hair-cuts.

And wearing shiny shoes.

[2naSalit]

46. And are "let go" as soon as they get to the

paddy wagon to go and do some more damage while on the clock.

[ffr]

33. Absolutely, so they can violate protester rights outside of what the law requires.

This is a gear up for a battle to put down any protest that is planned.

[2naSalit]

47. That's where it's at for them...nt

[unc70]

2. This seems really, really strange

[demigoddess]

28. just like demanding all ambassadors home by inauguration

very strange, almost as if he is planning an attack at that time.

[colorado_ufo]

31. Ya think?

[2naSalit]

49. The stench is palpable...

wouldn't put it past the whole cabal... and I bet it will start WWIII w/Russia.

[WheelWalker]

3. This is very ominous.

[2naSalit]

8. and obvious....nt

[MrPurple]

4. Just in time to shut down anti-Trump protests in the streets

[DK504]

5. Here we go....

Twittler will start to oder the Nat'l Guard to attack any and all protestors. I'd really like to see him try. And yet another crime to his growing list.

[redwitch]

10. In addition to good walking shoes and warm coats...

Be prepared to protect your eyes and lungs on the 21st.

[mahina]

14. I don't, I have family and friends in that march.

I'd like them to come home safely.

I'm sure you do too. Just hoping this goes better than it sounds.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

9. Edited in light of news reports later Friday and

Last edited Sat Jan 14, 2017, 03:09 PM - Edit history (2)

onenote's post later Friday afternoon.

I assume that Trump will put himself in command and order his troops to seize Hillary Clinton.

This will let Vladimir Putin know that we are to be respected.

Is there any other reason?

The timing seems poorly thought out.

Schwartz said he would oversee duties in a command center and then depart at 12:01 p.m., retiring from the Army.

Schwartz said that he has been swamped with inauguration duties and packing up four decades’ worth of papers and accumulated items, and has not yet been able to inform District officials, including the mayor and the chair of the D.C. Council. Unlike in states, where the governor appoints the National Guard commander, in the District that duty falls to the president.
....

Peter Hermann covers crime for The Washington Post.  Follow @phscoop

Paging Alex Jones....

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

11. This is very disturbing.

He will be replaced by a pro-Trump goon who will use the NG to intimidate the demonstrators, or worse.

[Leghorn21]

15. Exactly!! "or worse" - will the National Guard or any other US military

forces or mercs or "militias" fire at will on civilians?

I am terrified to put this question in writing, but have been wondering about this since the first protests in November

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

16. Remember Kent State?

Members of the Ohio National Guard murdered 4 unarmed college students in cold blood.

[PearliePoo2]

17. May 4th 1970 Kent State Ohio

[Leghorn21]

22. Oh indeed I do, having come up in the 60's

But I'm just wondering if the US military/LEOs in whatever branch (NG, local law enforcement, USMC, Army, mercs, etc etc) - would they turn their weapons en masse on their fellow civilian citizens?

I know I'm not the only one wondering this...and I'm picturing cold blooded "mass murder" in the streets, as opposed to "mass arrests", and I'm just wondering if our military could do that, orders or no orders, and I guess I just hope they are not capable, and that they all stand down, en masse -

It's an unanswerable question, I realize...I'm just...quietly flipping out as I try to brace for the worse, the worst possible scenario here -

[trc]

51. The military will not turn on civilians

Every single US military member takes an oath to defend the US Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic. They will not follow unlawful orders.

[Leghorn21]

54. Thank you, trc, for your reply

Deep breaths here, deep breaths - arghh

[GusBob]

12. I dont understand this at all. How can Trump be giving orders before he is sworn in?

[mahatmakanejeeves]

13. He's not giving orders. What he did was

to inform the CO that as of noon on January 20 his services would no longer be needed.

[Augiedog]

18. This only makes sense if tRump plans on declaring martial law to stop the protests planned on and af

After the inauguration

[Leith]

35. Another Thing That Would make Sense

Is what happens when a new CEO takes control of a company, he fires the last CEO's people, brings in his own in those positions. In a private company, that happens a lot, but not usually that quickly. It usually takes months for a new VP to take over from the old one.

In public service, there has to be continuity of governance. orange boy's abruptness is worrisome.

[haele]

36. He's being stupid. The U.S. military is not set up like a rent-a-cop/merc company.

There's a 200 year bureaucracy embedded in the DoD and most NG units where authority is designated down, rather than up; in a battle, if your C.O becomes incapacitated, the next person down needs to be able to take command. Unlike a typical business where there can be days between any critical decision, a unit under fire or on a critical deployment can't just wait for the General or Admiral above the downed C.O. to look over likely candidates and put a new guy in place.
There have been instances of the final authority for a unit being delegated from an O-4 (officer at a level 4 in hierarchy) down 6 positions to an E-6 (enlisted at a level 6 of 8) taking command of that unit. They'll just keep going down the line until a replacement for the original officer can officially swear in and take command.
The time it would take to actually replace the Command structure of the D.C. National Guard to meet Trumputin's approval will take months at the very least. I wouldn't worry too much about the current D.C. National Guard unit - I would be concerned about the unit once the rank and file members are purged.

Haele

[classof56]

19. Oh. My. God.

I try hard not to let fear overcome me, but the level keeps growing. This is very, very scary.

Lord help us all!

[global1]

20. This Info Scares Me More Than Anything That Has Come Out Of Trump Tower....

This is ominous. Is Trump's ego at work here again? Has he heard that the 21st crowds will be bigger in protest than the 20th crowds? He can't have that now - can he?

Maybe he's hoping that this action of removing Schwartz will make the news shows and it will be enough to scare people away from coming on the 21st and thin the crowd.

I'm sure his paid trolls are hard at work on social media to further scare people from coming to D.C. on the 21st or scare those that are coming to cancel their plans.

I hear a lot of talk on MSM news shows about the events of the 20th - have any reported on the 21st events?

[IronLionZion]

21. Changing command in the midst of large protests

is a recipe for disaster. Unless they are counting on chaos and disorganization to achieve some other agenda, like justifying something bad.

I'm sure the Trump pick is someone who is willing to do things that a decent rational human being wouldn't.

We've seen how he handles journalists. Maybe he wants to make America great again by handling protestors in a much more Russian-inspired way.

[Hekate]

45. "Unless they are counting on chaos and disorganization" Um, yes. Trump rules by chaos. nt

[IronLionZion]

53. Be afraid

that way people can be easy to control and willing to accept atrocities committed in the name of keeping us safe.

"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross." - Sinclair Lewis

[Lurks Often]

23. It might be related to his age

It might be related to his age as mandatory retirement for active duty Major Generals is 64

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_general_(United_States)#Retirement

Trump, Pence and none of the incoming administration has any authority to issue an order like this until after he is sworn in and replacing the commanding officer of the Washington DC National Guard is hardly a priority.

Who issued this order and why didn't the Washington Post report who issued the order if they had a copy of the memo relieving Gen. Schwartz of his command?

[mulsh]

24. the coup continues unabated. Dems in DC need to find some spines quickly so do the rest of us.

I of course include myself.

[malthaussen]

25. 5000 troops called in to "help?"

That's pretty ominous under any circumstances.

I'll tell ya one thing, I wouldn't want to be the junior officer responsible for giving any crowd control orders. The first rule is to only give orders that have a reasonable chance of being obeyed.

-- Mal

[msongs]

30. military and police will all back trump. he is their kinda guy morally speaking nt

[Old Vet]

37. I beg to differ with you msongs, Being a retired military man I talk with alot of current military..

families and troops. The military is as spilt on Trump as the rest of the country, Many Ive spoken to are as concerned as we are.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

39. DC National Guard? Really? NT

[IronLionZion]

42. Is that a fact?

[jmowreader]

43. That's pretty average for an inauguration

They did it for Obama too. And both Bushes, Bill Clinton...if Hillary would have won the electoral college, they would have done it for her too. Many of them will be unarmed and posted to help direct traffic.

Compared to canning the CG of the District of Columbia National Guard for undisclosed reasons, this is a very large nothingburger.

[neverforget]

26. Trump has to make sure he has a loyal general in charge of the DC National Guard when

shit hits the fan, for martial law. Just my tin foil hat

[winstars]

27. Anybody ever see the film "Seven Days in May"..... Interesting...

[colorado_ufo]

29. This terrifies me!

Heads up, powers that be.! Link this with the Russian takeover of Cspan yesterday.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

32. Anybody who attends the DC protests might want to invest

in body armor. And watch out for agents provocateurs, because you can bet they'll be there.

[Fearless]

34. Trump is paranoid that someone will assassinate him

Nixon level paranoia.

[Hekate]

48. Trump long ago left Nixon-land waaaay behind.

[Fearless]

58. I wouldn't disagree.

[SpankMe]

38. This is completely irrational. n/t

[dgibby]

40. Considering that Trump has

surrounded himself with Generals, this makes no sense from a military standpoint, unless, of course, they have already selected a puppet who will replace Schwartz. Being retired Navy, I am inclined to think that's what's happening. I'm guessing D.C. will be the most dangerous place in the country on Inauguration Day, and I am very fearful for the well-being of the participants on the Women's March, scheduled for the next day. One of my nieces is determined to go to the march, and nothing I can say will dissuade her.

[aquamarina]

41. I don't see anywhere

the name of the person who will be in charge at 12:02? That can't be good.

[Hekate]

50. Given how many careerists he has canned without replacements in sight, I'd say nobody

All the diplomats overseas -- told to walk out the door and leave the keys under the mat. The top 2 people in charge of our Nuclear Maintenance will be gone, leaving the #3 guy to say, "We are fucked."

Benedict Donald is a Trojan Horse.

I am glad I am not going to DC on this pass; I'll be praying for everyone's safety tho. Really, I anticipate no trouble at the Los Angeles march, but I am becoming downright frightened for those going to Washington.

[onenote]

56. He didn't can career foreign service officers. He canned political appointees

Facts should still matter to us, even if they don't matter to Trump and his bunch of lying thugs.

And the fact that a vacancy exists doesn't mean everything falls apart or grinds to a halt. There are non-political appointee careerists in most agencies that will take over in an "acting" capacity. The DC National Guard has a very able group of deputies working below the Commanding General.

In the short run, things will keep moving. To be honest, we're better off than if he had his own people ready to take the reins.

The plain fact is that every president replaces the previous administration's political appointees. Keeping with past practice, Obama asked most of his appointees to submit their resignations by December 7 -- and he made that request on November 7, before election day.

What is different this time is that rather than spend the transition period making considered judgments whether to keep a political appointee on the job or let them go, Trump's team seems to have simply sent notices to everyone. Generally speaking not many political appointees are asked to stick around, but a few are when it makes sense in terms of a smooth transition. But Trump's not bothering with figuring that stuff out. It's fire 'em all and worry about it later.

[Lurks Often]

57. Sadly facts don't seem to matter much here anymore

people would much rather believe things that fit their preconceptions of what they think the "facts" are.

[Leghorn21]

55. Looking at the DC NG website,

this gentleman, Brigadier General Renwick L. Payne, appears to be second in command?

http://dc.ng.mil/History/Command/TAG/Pages/default.aspx

...but who knows if he's been sacked as well -

[Keefer]

52. I found this:

As is customary, Schwartz, like other presidential appointees, submitted a letter of resignation to give the new administration a clean start. He had done so before, but the Obama administration twice declined to accept.

More -

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/commanding-general-of-dc-national-guard-to-be-removed-from-post/2017/01/13/725a0438-d99e-11e6-b8b2-cb5164beba6b_story.html?utm_term=.9ce0181b09fc

[orangecrush]

59. Martial law in D.C.

My guess.