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Pentagon activates 6,200 National Guard members

The Defense Department has formally activated roughly 6,200 members of the National Guard from six northeastern states to help support the Capitol Police and other law enforcement in Washington in the wake of the deadly riot Wednesday that rocked the U.S. Capitol.

Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller signed orders activating the National Guard from Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland for up to 30 days. A defense official said the goal is to have Guard members help secure the U.S. Capitol and the surrounding area through the Jan. 20 inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.

The Guard members are arriving over the next several days. A total of 6,200 have been activated, but the exact number of troops that will actually get to the city may be less than that, depending on who is available in each state. The Guard won’t be armed, but will have riot gear and protective clothing, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide troop details.

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Mulvaney says he's quitting after Capitol riot

President Donald Trump’s former acting White House chief of staff resigned his post as special envoy to Northern Ireland on Thursday, saying “I can’t do it. I can’t stay.”

Mulvaney joined a growing list of Trump administration officials who are leaving following the violent riot at the Capitol on Wednesday. The riot occurred after Trump addressed a massive rally in Washington fueled by the president’s repeated allegations that he lost the November election because of election fraud, which is not substantiated. A mob breached the Capitol building just as lawmakers were working to certify Electoral College votes in the election, sealing President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.

Mulvaney said he called Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Wednesday night to tell him that he was resigning. He served as acting White House chief of staff from January 2019 until March 2020. Before that, he was director of the Office of Management and Budget.

“I can’t do it. I can’t stay,” Mick Mulvaney told CNBC, which was first to report the resignation. “Those who choose to stay, and I have talked with some of them, are choosing to stay because they’re worried the president might put someone worse in.”

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President Donald Trump for the first time acknowledged his defeat in the Nov. 3 election and announced there would be an "orderly transition on January 20th" after Congress concluded the electoral vote count early Thursday certifying President-elect Joe Biden's victory.

Trump's acknowledgement came after a day of chaos and destruction on Capitol Hill when his supporters stormed the Capitol, forced members into hiding and halted the formal congressional tally for more than six hours.

"Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th," Trump said in a statement posted to Twitter by his social media director. Trump's personal Twitter account had been locked by the social media company for posting messages that appeared to justify the assault on the seat of the nation's democracy.

Trump added, "While this represents the end of the greatest first term in presidential history, it's only the beginning of our fight to Make America Great Again!"

Trump on Wednesday had encouraged his supporters to march on the Capitol to protest lawmakers' actions, and later appeared to excuse the violent occupation of the Capitol by the mob, which forced its way inside, clashed with police and ransacked offices.

Authorities said four people died during the violence. One woman was shot by an officer outside the House chamber, and three others died in "medical emergencies" during the occupation of the building, Washington, D.C., police said.

"These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots who have been badly & unfairly treated for so long," Trump wrote in a message that was later deleted by Twitter. He added, "Go home with love & in peace. Remember this day forever!"

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