1 Trump Says Goodbye As Biden Says "Hello"
President Trump is bidding farewell to the nation...for now. In a pre-recorded address, the President touted his accomplishments, from the economy to the response to the coronavirus. He said that he took on the hardest fights, never choosing the path that would garner the most praise. As he leaves office, Trump also outlined some of the dangers facing the nation, the most prominent of which he said is a "loss of confidence in ourselves." He condemned censorship of any kind and said blacklisting is unthinkable. What next? The White House schedule for the final day of Trump’s term only shows him and First Lady Melania Trump departing 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue at 7 am. As for Biden, he said a farewell yesterday...to his home state of Delaware. And last night, the President-elect as well as the VP-elect and their spouses took part in a COVID memorial in Washington, DC. The ceremony honored the more than 400-thousand Americans who have died in the ongoing pandemic.
2 Officials: 12 National Guard Troops Booted For Potential Threat
Pentagon officials have confirmed that 12 members of the National Guard are being removed from the mission to secure the inauguration – though the reasons aren’t entirely clear. What we know for sure? That at least two of them had ties to far-right groups and the Pentagon confirms there were “inappropriate” texts and online comments. Officials say the others had engaged in questionable behavior unrelated to extremism. The guard members sent back to their home states will be further investigated by either by their chain of command or law enforcement. There are approximately 25-thousand National Guard troops helping secure today’s inauguration. Defense officials are vetting all of them to ensure there will be no insider threat to the handover of power. Joe Biden takes the oath to become the nation's 46th President at noon Eastern time on Wednesday.
3 McConnell Shreds Trump Over Capitol Riot
If there was any question about the relationship between President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, those were answered yesterday as McConnell positively ripped Trump for inciting the mob that stormed the Capitol two weeks ago. Speaking on the Senate floor, McConnell said rioters were “provoked by the President” and “other powerful people.” McConnell also alleged that Trump "tried to use fear and violence" to stop a government proceeding, laid out in the Constitution, simply because he did not like the outcome of the election. McConnell said the nation came together so that an angry mob "would not get veto power over the rule of law." What this means with regard to the possibility of a Senate trial on the impeachment charges against President Trump is anyone's guess.