At least 25 troops under investigation for terrorism in connection with Capitol riot

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Source: USA Today

WASHINGTON – At least 25 troops are under investigation for terrorism related to Wednesday's siege at the Capitol, according to a Defense official.

The troops are suspected of taking part in the insurrection that shut down Congress as it formalized President-elect Joe Biden's Electoral College victory, said the official, who was not authorized to comment on the law enforcement investigation. Five people died, including a Capitol Hill police officer, after the pro-Trump mob overwhelmed security lines.

Members of the military are sworn to protect the Constitution. It is not clear if they would face military courts martial or prosecution in civilian court.

“We are engaged in identifying all of those who took part in breaching the Capitol, regardless of their affiliation,” Justice spokesman Marc Raimondi said Sunday.



Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/at-least-25-troops-under-investigation-for-terrorism-in-connection-with-capitol-riot/ar-BB1cDuiO?li=BBnbcA1

[Thekaspervote]

1. They are gonna be in such deep shit! Much worse than any civilian

[Deuxcents]

2. They better be

We hold our troops in esteem. Get em if they are found guilty

[StClone]

6. Dangerous infiltration of the Police, military and government services are all evident now

By the Capitol Riot Gang.

[SharonClark]

4. Good question.

[csziggy]

5. "The Pentagon also has been asked to review all members who will be a part of the security detail

"For next week's inauguration ceremony to ensure the are "not sympathetic to domestic terrorists," Crow said."

That is reassuring.

[Jazzgirl]

16. I wonder who will do the reviews?

What if the people doing the reviews are actually the corrupt domestic terrorists? That would be scary!

[csziggy]

19. Good question. nt

[machoneman]

7. Wow, first I've heard of active duty troopers involved in the mayhem. How sad!

[ForgoTheConsequence]

14. The rot runs deep in the military.

It's a community full of conspiracies and wingnuts.

[Redleg]

21. That is an awfully broad brush

I have been out of uniform since 1992 but have followed some of the trends in voting among military members. First, Stars and Stripes polled active duty service members in Sep. 2020 and found that 52% of them intended to vote for Biden and 46% for Trump. As the military has gotten more diverse, support for less conservative politicians and political views has increased.

I am aware that there have been numerous cases of active military members participating in white-supremacist, neo-nazi, or other extremist right-wing causes and actions. I am also aware that Fox News has its own stable of retired military officers who are extreme wing-nuts and Trump fluffers. I don't believe this indicates a "community full of conspiracies and wingnuts." I do believe the military needs to do a better job of screening these wingnuts at initial entry and to take corrective actions when they do engage in these political activities which are forbidden by the UCMJ.

If you watch CNN and MSNBC, you will also see former military officials, usually generals, who have been quite critical of Trump and Trumpism. While individual military members might choose to engage in insurrection, it is inconceivable to me that units within the military would choose to do so. At the same time, I can also see that some military leaders would be reluctant to use military force against the insurrectionists and would rather see state and local law enforcement deal with this.

From my experience, and taking into account the active military officers that I still know, most unit commanders frown on the open and loud expression of extreme political views. When I served, while many of my fellow officers were conservatives, very few were extremists, and even fewer ever spoke about politics. The few that did were often shunned or told to keep their mouths shut.

I think that we liberals need to be careful assuming that the military is our enemy or that it sides with the insurrectionists. We should be cautious and observant in how military force is used and we should expect the military to keep these dangerous wing-nuts out of the service.

[pfitz59]

24. I was onboard the USS Lincoln during the 2000 election debacle

many of the crew supported Gore. They weren't vocal about it mainly because the Bush supporters were aggressively partisan. The military tends to be conservative, but is fifty fifty on party affiliation.

[ForgoTheConsequence]

26. These aren't assumptions.

I never painted everyone. I am speaking from personal experience. The enlisted class is full of conspiracy nuts and right-wingers, I don't know anything about the officer class.

[Redleg]

28. I don't disagree about the existence of extremists

I agree that there is a problem with extremism in the military. I just don't know how wide-spread it is. I just don't think it is fair to characterize the military as being full of these dangerous nuts. I think the military should conduct some rigorous research to find out about these things (perhaps contract with appropriate civilian experts to conduct the research). I also think the military needs to make it a high priority to deal with extremist assholes and to prevent the already radicalized from enlisting or becoming commissioned officers.

I believe the same should go for police departments and federal law enforcement agencies. The one thing that bothers me about this is in how the institutions will define unacceptable viewpoints/beliefs/etc. Unacceptable behavior is easier to define. I am concerned about the perception that the military and law enforcement agencies would be undertaking a "purge." I think we would have to be very careful about how to go about righting the ship.

[LizBeth]

8. 6 people died. 2 Capitol cops.

[58Sunliner]

9. Wow. Now how about Miller-A/SD, McCarthy-Secarmy and maybe Rodriguez-DHS.

They were the ones in charge along with Sund. That is what I worry about as well. They already failed once.

[SunSeeker]

10. Hit them with courts martial AND Federal criminal charges!!!

[IsItJustMe]

17. There is a place called Leavenworth Prison for people under military command.

[reACTIONary]

11. USA Today link....

.. The original article.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/01/10/25-troops-under-investigation-terrorism-related-riot-capitol/6618295002/

[reACTIONary]

12. USA Today correction....

Correction: This story has been updated to note that a Defense official has corrected a statement that 25 troops are under investigation for terrorism related to the siege at the Capitol. There are 25 people under investigation, some of whom may be troops.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/01/10/25-troops-under-investigation-terrorism-related-riot-capitol/6618295002/

[Marie Marie]

13. Thanks for the clarification. 25 troops did not make sense to me.

[BobTheSubgenius]

15. Another point.

I've long believed that active-duty service people are always subject to UCMJ and not civilian law. At least, not primarily. I have a nagging and much less firm sense that the military gets the first crack at prosecution.

I realize I could be wrong on one or both counts.

[JonLP24]

18. They are subject to both

UCMJ covers most on base offenses but if you commit a crime off-post you will be charged by civilian police. Usually when you are in trouble with the local police the military will also punish you too.

[pfitz59]

25. What's interesting about the UCMJ is rules of evidence are different

Hearsay is admissible. The mere appearance of wrongdoing is enough to get shit-canned (for the good of the service).

[Bayard]

20. This is certainly disheartening

"Members of the military are sworn to protect the Constitution." And we've been saying the military would not follow unlawful orders from trump.

[Redleg]

22. I believe this is true of military units

individuals, on the other hand, may find an excuse to ignore their oath. I don't think the military as a whole or in large units would follow an unlawful order from Trump, especially when it is clear that Trump and his supporters are acting un-constitutionally.

[C Moon]

23. If nothing else, we're weeding out some of the extreme traitors.

The smart ones didn't show up, they only set things up. Those are the ones the FBI needs to begin digging deeper on. And those are the dangerous ones.

[AllaN01Bear]

27. if so, id like them to go thru military justice , strpped of all rank and bennis . dishonrably

discharged and sent to levanworth prison for the rest of their days .