Commanding general of D.C. National Guard to be removed from post (at 12:01 pm Jan 20th)

WaPo ^ | Peter Hermann

[RoosterRedux]

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.”

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

[little jeremiah]

Thanks for the copied info.

[Steve_Seattle]

"This is an automatic event."

The general didn't think so - the article presents him as being perplexed - and I assume he would be in a position to know the protocol if this was a routine matter. To me, the clear sense of the article is that the order came from the sitting president, Obama. If there were an anti-Trump position to take, the article would have taken it. If Obama were doing something fishy, they would NOT explicitly mention his role, and they didn't. They left it ambiguous.

[LouisianaJoanof Arc]

Is martial law coming?

[BreitbartSentMe]

Wonder if it is related to this?:

https://twitter.com/JamesOKeefeIII/status/820002475084304385

What @Project_Veritas found was so egregious, we notified counter terrorism LEOs. Release planned for MONDAY! #tcot

[Steve_Seattle]

"He is leaving DURING the ceremony. It seems nuts to do this, unless one wants to help enable rioters.

Which is one of the reasons I'm surprised that so many people here think that this was Trump's decision. Would not the left be the ones wanting to sow confusion, to disrupt the security chain-of-command, at that critical moment?

[monkeywrench]

Yes. That’s one of the articles. I read a different one I believe.

[little jeremiah]

Who is Jennifer Griffin? (I don’t have a TV or watch network news, maybe connected with that?)

[little jeremiah]

But same incident, got it - thanks.

[little jeremiah]

Hmm, I need to check PJ and O’Keefe’s twitter stuff more often, thank you.

[GOYAKLA]

I am looking but can’t find name or data on a reliever! Anyone?

[RayofHope]

Jennifer Griffin (born 1969) is an American journalist who currently works as national security correspondent for Fox News.

[DoughtyOne]

Why was he formally reappointed in 2009?

[gleeaikin]

“The mouse is gone and the lion has been given his place.”

Except if the Russians have “interesting” photos and tapes of the Lion at play in Russia. It seems that so many younger FReepers have forgotten how Russia/USSR tried to put nuclear missiles in Cuba 90 miles from our shores. I for one will never forget the days those of us who lived near DC had trouble sleeping at night until the crisis was over. Don’t ever forget that Putin was KGB.

[greeneyes]

Does this mean that DJT’s Team doesn’t have confidence in this guy?

[dragnet2]

Oh, you mean like GHW Bush was CIA?

[little jeremiah]

Thank you! I could have searched - just jumping up and down from computer to work today.

[rebrane]

The article says the order came from the Pentagon which didn’t comment on where the order came from.

The DoD obviously carries out Obama’s orders right now, but one of those orders is to work with Trump’s transition team. The 12:01 pm timing is enough to know where the order came from. Obama has no authority to tell the military to do anything on 1/20 12:01pm. (tick, tick, tick)

[DoughtyOne]

Central characters to that event were in the U.S. at the time.

I’m not going to soil myself by acting as if that was anything more than trash.

We had a president trying to spark a reaction from Putin. Why couldn’t the next guy be sending a message that U.S. policy was about to change for the better? “Be patient a few more weeks...”

[fella]

Panning for the new Reichstag bonfire?

[Steve_Seattle]

"Pentagon says nothing unusual for head of DC National Guard, a political appointee, to be asked to step down Jan 20."

Then why - according to the story - is the general himself so perplexed by this routine event, which he says came without explanation? Is he ignorant of the procedure?

You would think that his notice of termination would be couched in some formal notice like this, "Pursuant to US Code 337-3283653-998, your term of service will expire at 12:01 PM, January 20th, 2017. We thank you for your service blah blah blah . . . "